Election Fight in Bihar an Interesting Game
"From the soil of Bihar, I say to the whole world today that India will detect, hunt down and punish each and every terrorist and their patrons. This is what Prime Minister Narendra Modi said. He was addressing an election rally in Bihar, which was held days after the recent terror attack in which 26 innocent people lost their lives. The terrorist attack took place in a high mountain plain called Baisaran, about five kilometers from Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir.
Meanwhile, the opposition has launched a scathing attack on the Prime Minister accusing him of using the terror attack to gain mileage in Bihar assembly elections. Karnataka Minister and Congress leader Dinesh Gundu Rao accused the Prime Minister of taking political advantage of every national crisis. They are using the current crisis in Bihar to reap political benefits. For Modiji, every issue is just a source of political gain. Gundu Rao did not stop there, accusing the Prime Minister of political opportunism and said that instead of communicating with the media in this hour of crisis, he issued one-sided statements through social media and election rallies.
In the present circumstances, the political turmoil in the country has intensified due to the killing of ordinary citizens. The Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) have raised questions over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Bihar. These parties say that on the one hand the country is immersed in mourning, on the other hand the Prime Minister is engaged in election campaigning. The RJD has made serious allegations that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and the BJP government are putting tremendous pressure on the state machinery to mobilize crowds for the Prime Minister's rally.
Amidst all this, it is not hidden from anyone how important the Bihar elections are for the BJP. The party is trying to strengthen its political presence in the state. At the same time, he now wants to get out of the shadow of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and JDU. This is the reason why so far the BJP has not given open support to Nitish as the future Chief Minister, even though the election is being fought under his leadership. However, Nitish Kumar's politics of frequent switching sides has proved to be a double-edged sword for him. While his change of alliances is seen as his survival in the jungle of politics, his credibility has also been hurt by frequent defections.
Nitish Kumar broke ties with the BJP in 2013 but returned to the NDA four years later after sharing power with the RJD. In 2022, he again turned to the RJD camp but returned to the NDA once again last year. There is no question about his political acumen but reports suggest that Nitish Kumar is no longer the same. There have been reports of instability in his behaviour, leading to speculation about his physical and mental state. Many people have now started to consider them as a tired force. On the contrary, the BJP is being described as a 'rising star' in Bihar's electoral politics.
Of course, the women-centric schemes launched by Nitish Kumar can still benefit him. The impact of his 'caste-neutral' policy is being seen especially among women who can come in support of him across caste and perhaps party barriers. Preparations are in full swing to target women by showing prominence to the women-centric schemes of the state government. A strategy is being made to woo women by rising above the boundaries of caste and religion. There is a plan to show videos of schemes run by the government, including 90 lakh bicycles given to school-going girls, insurance for women and schemes related to education. Apart from this, the controversial liquor prohibition law will also be introduced prominently and it will be pointed out that this decision has led to a decline in cases of domestic violence.
Another major strength of Nitish Kumar is his caste hold, especially his influence on the Kurmi community, his hold among the most backward castes and non-Yadav backward castes are factors that the BJP cannot ignore. Apart from this, his clean record in the case of corruption and his political relevance in the present day can prove useful for the BJP. In such a situation, if the BJP tries to distance itself from Nitish Kumar, then it may suffer in the electoral arithmetic of Bihar.
The BJP's hesitation, however, is less about Nitish Kumar and more about its ambition to make itself paramount in state politics. The party does not want to risk upsetting him to maintain balance in the alliance for the time being, but at the same time it is committed to strengthening its hold independently. Its intention is clear: to dominate the state's politics and become a decisive force. At present, it is the largest party in the assembly and does not want to leave any stone unturned to further strengthen its position.
Apart from major parties like Congress and RJD, some new faces are also entering the electoral fray this time. These include 'Aap Sab Ki Awaaz', a party started by a former minister and close to Nitish Kumar. Apart from this, the famous former IPS officer Shivdeep Wamanrao Lande, known by the film name Singham, is also going to start his political innings under the banner of 'Hind Inquilab Party'. Many such small but ambitious parties are making the contest multi-cornered this time.
Had the terror attack not taken place in Pahalgam, the NDA, comprising the Janata Dal (United), the BJP and Chirag Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party, would have faced a stiff challenge from the opposition alliance. In this coalition, the Rashtriya Janata Dal, Congress and the Left parties were preparing to surround the government unitedly, but Pahalgam has changed this entire perspective. In fact, the mood and mood of the elections has now shifted to the terror attack and Modi's swift response, not to state issues. Now development plans will move forward on the basis of national security concerns.
The main theme for the BJP will be that the country needs a strong leader like Modi to deal with Pakistan. In this sense, the larger issue of national security will prevail over all other issues. In the present situation, the national sentiment has affected everyone. Elections will no longer be held on who becomes the chief minister of the state, but on who is responsible for keeping the country safe from external forces, and this is where Modi's personality will prove to be crucial, the image of a strong prime minister, determined to avenge the atrocities committed on the Indian people. And that's what the BJP will exploit entirely.
Whenever the country faces any crisis, people unite behind a strong leader. The BJP's package is well-crafted in that sense, the Modi-Nitish combination that gives it strength over the opposition. Modi is a strong leader that the country needs and the welfare schemes of the state government are continuing. Thus, even if the BJP leadership does not nominate Nitish Kumar as the next Chief Minister, the continuation of his governance system will work in favour of the coalition. Although the Bihar elections are still a few months away, Pahalgam will not be allowed to be erased from the memories of the people in the election campaign. It is an effective, though unfortunate weapon for the BJP, which it will use for its electoral gains.