Saran (Bihar) [India], July 6 (ANI): Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) president and Union Minister Chirag Paswan on Sunday officially announced his candidacy for the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections while addressing a gathering in Saran.

He said, 'Today, from this sacred land of Saran, I am declaring before all of you that yes, I will contest the election. I will contest the election for the people of Bihar, for my brothers, for my mothers, for my sisters, and we will create a system in Bihar, we will build a Bihar that will truly take the state forward on the path of development.'

Earlier today, Paswan had carried out the 'Nav-Sankalp Mahasabha' from Chhapra to Nav Bihar, starting at the Rajendra Stadium in Chhapra.

While hitting out at the Congress and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) over comprising the development of the state, he added, 'In the coming days, regarding the inheritance tax, the way Congress, RJD, and all their allies think about taxing the property that belongs to you generation after generation. The people who talk about development in Bihar today are the same opposition leaders who had ruined Bihar in the 90.'

However, the Union Minister, while reacting over the murder of businessman Gopal Khema, expressed worry over the 'rising crime' and the 'collapse of law and order' in the state, and urged for putting pressure on the state government to bring the perpetrators to justice.

'It is a matter of worry the way crime has risen and law and order has collapsed in Bihar. If such an incident has happened in a posh locality of Patna, then we can only imagine what is happening in villages. It is worrying to see such incidents occur under a government that was known for good governance; then the opposition will have a chance to speak up. Strict action needs to be taken to set a precedent so that such a thing is not repeated,' Paswan told mediapersons here.

On July 4, businessman Gopal Khemka was allegedly shot dead near his residence in the south area of the Gandhi Maidan in Patna. Following the incident, Bihar Police has formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the murder case. The murder has evoked sharp political reactions from the opposition parties and put the spotlight back on the law and order situation in the state.

LJP (Ram Vilas) is part of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), with Janata Dal (United) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). LJP is expected to keep on allying with the NDA for the upcoming Bihar polls, however Paswan has not yet confirmed his stance on it. (ANI)