Bihar was a litmus test as it was the first to go to the elections post Covid-19. And, in an absolute antithesis of nearly all the opinion polls, the results came in favour of the NDA in the state. This has put all those in a state of shock who had thought that false propaganda could triumph over groundwork done for the welfare of the citizens.
Former US President Barack Obama, while describing Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, wrote in his memoir, “He (Rahul Gandhi) was eager to impress but lacked either the aptitude or the passion to master the subject.” In fact, Obama depicted Rahul Gandhi in a very sophisticated way, which is perfectly in line with what people in India know of him.
The same could very well be related to the case in Bihar, especially with the Tejashwi Yadav-led Mahagathbandhan. These outfits had been eager to impress voters but lacked any sincere compassion towards serving the people of the state. However, in the entire process, the only leader from the Opposition parties who could percolate to the minds of the people to a certain extent was Tejashwi Yadav, whose success can be attributed to four reasons: He got RJD in succession, he has age on his side, the party spoiler by Chirag Paswan and the anti-incumbency against the sitting CM for 15 years in a row. However, the mandate went in favour of the NDA government, led by Nitish Kumar.
The Bihar elections saw various political parties coming together directly or indirectly against the leadership of Nitish Kumar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. However, contrary to everyone’s interpretations, the NDA rose to the political pinnacle in Bihar as the people of the state stood firmly by the vision and track record of PM Modi and CM Nitish Kumar. Bihar’s election tussle also exhibited the true ethical essence of coalition politics—Nitish Kumar took oath as the Chief Minister of Bihar for the fourth time, despite the fact that his party suffered a significant political dent, evident by the poll results.
The voters of Bihar had to choose between two options: On one hand, there were the past precedents of hooliganism and Goonda Raj by the RJD-led government (not to forget Lalu Prasad Yadav’s current location) and, on the other hand, there was Nitish Kumar, who has been vocal on development issues, and was supported and endorsed by none other than Prime Minister Modi himself. Tejashwi, to his credit, did manage to make his mark as the RJD became the single-largest party in the polls.
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar, in one of his recent media engagements, said that a lot could be learnt from Tejashwi Yadav. However, he must introspect why his party could not achieve success, even when people like Mamata Banerjee, Akhilesh Yadav, Mayawati, Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy and N. Chandrababu Naidu could form their own governments. This shows that only experience doesn›t help. Credibility is also required! Pawar has been active in the politics of Maharashtra for almost four decades now. But what has not been done in the last forty years is not going to happen over a fortnight after the results of one state assembly election.
Another example of dramatic failure is the Shiv Sena. The party went on to contest 22 Assembly seats in Bihar, hoping to lead the wagon of Opposition parties in national politics. However, it recorded nothing but a disastrous failure. Out of the 22 seats contested, deposits from 21 of the seats fought by the Shiv Sena were sealed. That is how badly the party performed, compelling it to bite the dust in absolute humiliation. Meanwhile, the Congress, their Shiv Sena ally in the Maharashtra government, refused to join hands with it in Bihar.
Soon after the results, many came to the conclusion that Tejashwi could be the probable face for the anti-Modi alliance. However, while saying so, one must not forget his roots in politics. However, it will still be premature to comment on whether Tejashwi can position himself as an emerging leader who can head all the opposition parties, unless he walks on the path of Jaganmohan Reddy. For that, he will have to prove his mettle in the next five years as part of the Opposition, because the moment someone shows national aspirations, other aspirants like Mamata, Akhilesh, Mayawati and even Pawar will train their guns on such an upcoming leader.
Nevertheless, the people of Bihar, through their mandate, have ensured that the state does not grapple with the negativity and corruption of those in the past. As far as the NDA is concerned, the BJP, despite having a tally bigger than that of the JD-U, continues to stand firm on its commitment regarding Nitish Kumar being the chief minister. However, while the BJP has stood by its words, some political stooges have immediately taken a plunge with making illogical statements and crediting the Shiv Sena for the BJP’s actions. In Maharashtra, in many public rallies, PM Modi made it amply clear in the presence of Uddhav Thackeray that Devendra Fadnavis would be CM—to which the Shiv Sena never objected then.
However, the truth of the matter is that, in Maharashtra, the Shiv Sena retrospectively discovered the new clauses of the alliance equations post the poll results. As for Maharashtra sharing the office of chief minister of the state, it was never on the cards. Hence, Shiv Sena leaders’ false claims stand rejected. Besides, the Shiv Sainiks, by joining hands with their principal Opposition, have, for years, dug a political grave for themselves. Not only the Shiv Sena, but all non-NDA parties to a large extent, will now be rejected by the voters, as the priorities of their alliances and equations are now in the public domain.
While the BJP-led NDA continues to seek votes in the name of development and reforms beneficial for the entire nation, all the non-NDA parties continue to seek votes in the name of opposing PM Modi. However, these outfits seem oblivious to the fact that it is Narendra Modi who has been instrumental in initiating many welfare schemes like PM Awas Yojana, Ujjwala Yojana, Ayushman Bharat and PM Kisan Sanman Nidhi, the benefits of which are directly availed by the same voters. The sentiments of such voters were evident in the Bihar poll results as well.
Thus, while the Opposition continues its baseless and unproven allegations on the Modi government, the NDA retains the trust of voters by working for them. On one hand, there is a ray of hope, and, on the other, there are shades of pessimism. And in Bihar, the voters have clearly chosen hope over pessimism.
The writer is the BJP media head, Maharashtra. The views expressed are personal.
The Bihar elections saw various political parties coming together directly or indirectly against the leadership of Nitish Kumar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. However, contrary to everyone’s interpretations, the NDA rose to the political pinnacle in Bihar as the people of the state stood firmly by the vision and track record of PM Modi and CM Nitish Kumar. Bihar’s election tussle also exhibited the true ethical essence of coalition politics—Nitish Kumar took oath as the Chief Minister of Bihar for the fourth time, despite the fact that his party suffered a significant political dent, evident by the poll results.