Pashupati Paras elected as Lok Janshakti Party chief, replaces Chirag Paswan

Chirag Paswan was formally replaced as Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) chief today by his uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras, who orchestrated a coup against him earlier this week.

Pashupati Paras, the younger brother of LJP founder and Chirag Paswan's father Ram Vilas Paswan, has been taking over all leadership positions in the party since Monday, when he and four other MPs - the LJP has six MPs in the Lok Sabha including Paswan - broke away and asked to be treated as a separate group.

On Tuesday, the rebels removed Chirag Paswan as party president in an "emergency meeting". Soon after the announcement, he retaliated by "expelling" his uncle and the other MPs who have revolted against him, making it a fight between two factions of the LJP.

But Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has accepted Mr Paras as the floor leader of the LJP in the lower house instead of Chirag Paswan, virtually giving the rebel faction official endorsement. Mr Paras was listed as the Lok Sabha LJP leader in a revised list of floor leaders of parties on Monday.

If the feud goes to court, the Speaker's endorsement will strengthen the rebels' claim.

Mr Paras, 71, is a first-time MP and a six-term MLA.

He used to be Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan's unofficial manager but after his death, fell out with nephew Chirag over a range of issues including their disagreement over Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.