Chirag Paswan: From Bollywood stint to Modi's cabinet minister, once-an-aspiring hero steals political limelight

Chiraj, 41, was inducted into the Modi cabinet after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s supreme leader Narendra Modi took oath for the 3rd consecutive term on Sunday.

"I have no demand. There can't be any demand because our goal was to make Modi-ji the Prime Minister again," Chirag, who touched Modi's feet during the NDA meeting, had said earlier.

Take a look at his rise

Interestingly, Chirag, who joined Ram Vilas Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party or the LJP in 2012, had started his career as an actor in Bollywood.

After a college drop out, Chirag acted in Miley Naa Miley Hum, starring actress Kangana Ranaut, who has been elected to Lok Sabha for a maiden term on a BJP ticket from Himachal Pradesh's Mandi.

"Kangana?" Chirag called the actress-MP and then the two hugged and briefly talked in a reunion during the NDA meeting.

But his Bollywood stint was very short as he switched to politics following the unsuccessful run of the film, which was released in 2011.

A year later, Chirag joined LJP and subsequently contested from Jamui in 2014. He was instrumental in the patch-up of the LJP-BJP after his father snapped ties with the saffron camp following 2002 Gujarat riots, when Modi was the state Chief Minister.

Chirag retained Jamui even in 2019, which saw Modi's return to power for the second consecutive term.

In 2024, Chirag was elected from the Hajipur seat, which was held by his father Ram Vilas Paswan, who founded LJP in 2000. 

After Ram Vilas Paswan's demise in 2020, Chirag suffered a jolt after the Election Commission of India froze the party symbol following its split due to the rebellion by his uncle Pashupati Paras.

Chirag had no option but to float his own party- named Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas)- which swept all 5 seats it contested in the 2024 parliamentary polls that denied the BJP a majority needing its allies to chip in.

The 5 Lok Sabha seats which Chirag's party won are Hajipur, Jamui, Khagaria, Samastipur and Vaishali.

During his tenure as an MP for 10 years, Chirag led several parliamentary committees and has also remained the chairman of LJP's Central Parliamentary Board.

After he took oath as the minister sharing the dais with Modi and other top ministers, Chirag posted on X, "I express my gratitude to my guardian and the country's illustrious Prime Minister, Honorable Shri @narendramodi ji, for including me in the Union Cabinet. On this honourable occasion, I take a pledge that every moment of my life will be dedicated to the great values of India and the Constitution of India.

"I will continue to work tirelessly and without stopping for the service of the nation without any discrimination. We will walk hand in hand with the Prime Minister to realise the dream of a developed India and a strong India. Long live Mother India!"