PATNA, India, 19 February 2005 — Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) President Ram Vilas Paswan has named himself the top contender for Bihar’s chief ministership just a day after he said he would rather see president’s rule imposed on the state for two years in case of a hung assembly.

Addressing reporters at Patna airport yesterday morning, Paswan said, “I am the most suitable choice for chief minister, so I would be the next chief minister of Bihar.”

He failed to elaborate on what made him change his mind this time. The federal minister for steel is known for switching alliances and changing his statements frequently.

Speaking of incumbent Chief Minister Rabri Devi, Paswan predicted that she will not only lose big time at Raghopur, she’ll also lose her deposit. “The wind of change is blowing in Bihar. Everyone wants this duo (Lalu Prasad and his wife Rabri) and their relatives out of power and cannot wait to cast their ballots against the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD),” said the LJP leader.

The latest announcement came as a shock to the LJP’s ally Congress which had been campaigning to install a Muslim leader to replace Rabri Devi in the event the LJP-Congress alliance emerged the big winner in the state assembly elections.

Paswan’s sudden decision to project himself as the new chief minister of Bihar invoked the wrath of RJD President Lalu who once again described Paswan as a man who had lost his mind. “Paswan has gone completely bananas if you ask me. He says one thing one day and just the opposite the next,” Lalu said.

While not exactly calling him a crackpot, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) general secretary Arun Jaitley said Paswan was suffering from a major case of hallucination and delusion. “What he says today will have no meaning tomorrow. This defines Ram Vilas Paswan,” Jaitley said while insisting the BJP-Janata Dal (U) combination will emerge the biggest winner in the elections to form the next government.

Meanwhile, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Sri Prakash Jaiswal has ruled out the possibility of president’s rule in Bihar in the wake of a hung assembly. “There is no question of president’s rule in Bihar even if the assembly elections throw up a fractured verdict,” Jaiswal said here yesterday.