Union Minister and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) president Chirag Paswan on Thursday cited the party’s electoral performance in Nagaland as an example of its ability to contest elections independently, saying it could field candidates in all 403 constituencies in the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections if an alliance with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) could not be worked out.
Speaking to reporters in Varanasi, Paswan said formal discussions on an alliance in Uttar Pradesh had not yet begun, but expressed hope that a consensus would be reached.
He said the party was currently aligned with the NDA at the Centre and in Bihar, and that an alliance remained its preferred option in Uttar Pradesh.
However, pointing to the 2023 Nagaland Assembly elections, where the LJP(RV) contested independently and won two seats, Paswan said the party was prepared to go it alone if necessary.
“But Nagaland is an example where I contested the elections without an alliance. I have two MLAs in Nagaland. If an alliance cannot be worked out, the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) will possibly contest candidates on all 403 seats,” he said.
The party won the Pughoboto and Tobu Assembly constituencies in the 2023 Nagaland elections, securing around nine per cent of the total vote share and attaining state-party recognition.
Paswan made the remarks while attending a party-organised event at a college in Varanasi as part of the LJP(RV)’s political outreach in Uttar Pradesh.
The statement reiterated his position that the party would prefer an alliance but was keeping the option of contesting independently open. He also announced that the party’s foundation day would be celebrated in Lucknow on November 28.
The LJP(RV) is seeking to expand its political presence in Uttar Pradesh, where its electoral performance has so far been limited. In the 2022 Assembly elections, the party failed to win a seat and secured only 0.01 per cent of the total votes, according to Election Commission data.
The party’s stronger electoral base remains in Bihar, where it won 19 seats in the 2025 Assembly elections. It also won all five Lok Sabha seats it contested in the 2024 general elections.