Union Minister Chirag Paswan has declared his plan to contest the forthcoming Bihar assembly elections from all 243 seats. Speaking at a public meeting in Ara, he expressed his aim to fortify the NDA coalition. Paswan framed his decision as being ‘for Bihar’ and said he would respect the public’s choice on whether he should contest and from which seat. He also took aim at the RJD and Congress, blaming them for the ‘jungle raj’. Moreover, he reacted to Rahul Gandhi’s criticism of the Election Commission, implying that Gandhi was seeking excuses for an anticipated loss.