Union Food Processing Minister Chirag Paswan on Tuesday, 26 May 2026 marked the anniversary of the 2014 Lok Sabha election results, recalling that he and his party joined the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) inspired by then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's governance style and forward-looking approach. In a post on X, Paswan also credited his late father and party founder Ram Vilas Paswan for the political wisdom behind that alliance decision.

Context

Paswan wrote in Hindi that the 2014 general election delivered a 'historic and decisive victory' (ऐतिहासिक और प्रचंड जीत) to the NDA — the first time in nearly a decade that a coalition returned to power with a full majority. He stated that he and his party were moved by Modi's 'work ethic and visionary thinking' while Modi was still serving as Chief Minister of Gujarat, and that this impression drove their decision to join the NDA ahead of the polls.

The post marks a politically significant date: the 2014 results ended ten years of governments that lacked a single-party majority at the Centre, reshaping the structure of national coalition politics.

Policy Backdrop

The Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), a Bihar-based party with a strong base among Dalit communities, has contested all three Lok Sabha elections since 2014 as part of the NDA. Ram Vilas Paswan, who had previously aligned with both the NDA and the UPA at different points in his long political career, merged the LJP into the NDA fold ahead of the 2014 cycle — a move Chirag now describes as placing 'national interest, development, and public welfare above personal gain.'

Since 2014, the BJP-led NDA has systematically built pre-poll alliances with smaller regional parties, securing outright majorities rather than relying on post-poll arrangements. The LJP's consistent alignment illustrates how Dalit-focused regional parties have leveraged such partnerships for ministerial representation and influence in Bihar's complex caste arithmetic.

Stakeholders and Impact

For the LJP (Ram Vilas), the anniversary post reinforces the party's narrative of ideological continuity and loyalty to the NDA since its founding alliance decision. Chirag Paswan, who inherited party leadership after his father's death in 2020, has consistently invoked Ram Vilas Paswan's legacy to consolidate his own standing within both the party and the broader NDA coalition.

The tribute to Ram Vilas Paswan also carries weight in Bihar, where the elder Paswan remains a revered figure among Dalit voters. Framing the 2014 alliance decision as an act of national selflessness — rather than political calculation — serves to deepen that legacy narrative ahead of the next electoral cycle.

What's Next

With Bihar assembly elections on the horizon, posts of this nature signal that the LJP (Ram Vilas) intends to keep its NDA credentials and its founding story front and centre. Formal seat-sharing negotiations within the NDA for the next Lok Sabha cycle will be a key test of how much political capital this sustained loyalty has accumulated for Chirag Paswan and his party.