Patna, February 21 Union minister Chirag Paswan dismissed speculation that his mother, Reena Paswan, would contest the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections, stating that she prefers to stay away from politics.
Paswan, whose LJP (Ram Vilas) has no representation in the Rajya Sabha, made the statement after reporters asked him about the speculation on Friday night.
"I want to be very clear that my mother is not a candidate for any of the five Rajya Sabha seats that will be contested. She may have appeared in public as a mother or as a wife, but she wants to avoid active politics," he said.
"However, I must add that all five seats will be won by the NDA," he added.
The elections for the 37 Rajya Sabha seats, including five from Bihar, will be held on March 16.
Currently, two of these five seats are held by the JD(U), two by the RJD, and one by the RLM.
The ruling NDA, which now has a strong majority in the state assembly, has made it clear that it will target all five seats with the help of its 202 MLAs.
The RJD-led grand alliance, which includes the Congress, CPI(ML) Liberation, and CPI(M), as well as the newly formed IIP, has only 35 members in the 243-strong assembly, six fewer than the minimum required to secure a seat in the Rajya Sabha.
It is now hoping to gain support from the AIMIM and BSP, parties with which it has never allied, in order to win one of the five seats.
