Requested Election Commission not to allot LJP symbol to anyone, says Pashupati Kumar Paras

Hours after Election Commission of India (ECI) froze Lok Janshakti Party's symbol, Union Minister and LJP leader Pashupati Kumar Paras said that he had requested the Election Commission not to allot the party's symbol to anyone.

Speaking to reporters briefly, Paras said, "I have only requested Election Commission not to allot the (Lok Janshakti Party) symbol to anyone as the matter is pending in the court."

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday froze Lok Janshakti Party's symbol amid a tussle between factions of Chirag Pawan and Pashupati Kumar Paras.

ECI in an official statement issued today said "neither of the two groups of Paswan or Chirag will be permitted to use the symbol LJP".

The Commission further directed both the groups to chose, as an interim measure, the names of their groups and the "symbols which may be allotted to the candidates set up, if any, by the respective groups," latest by October 4.

The LJP is a recognised party in Bihar with the symbol 'Bungalow'.

Both Chirag Paswan and newly-elected LJP national president Pashupati Kumar Paras, earlier in June, had written to the Election Commission over the right on the party symbol, sources had said.

On June 13, Paras, the younger brother of LJP founder Ram Vilas Paswan was recognised as the leader of LJP in Lok Sabha in place of Chirag Paswan after the five of six-party MPs gave a letter in his support.

The Speaker accepted Paras as the floor leader of the LJP in the lower house. In a revised list of floor leaders of parties, Paras was listed as the Lok Sabha LJP leader.

The LJP was formed by former Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan in 2000. Paswan, a heavyweight leader in Bihar politics, passed away in October 2020.

( With inputs from ANI )