NDA magic in Bihar

The NDA has retained power in the Bihar assembly elections with a two-thirds majority, defying even the exit poll predictions. Nitish Kumar's return as Chief Minister for the tenth time is the biggest example of how much the people of the state have embraced him as a leader who is free from corruption and who adheres to socialist ideals and carries out political activities. The Bihar assembly election results also convince the opposition parties, including the Congress and the RJD, that a government that has gained trust through public welfare measures cannot be overthrown through tactics including 'vote chori'.

122 seats are required for a simple majority in the 243-member assembly. The final results for all the seats have not been declared when this is being written. According to current reports, the NDA is leading in 202 seats; the INDIA alliance in 30 seats. The BJP has become the single largest party with 94 seats. Its ally Nitish Kumar's JD(U) is leading in 84 seats. The Congress, which has suffered the biggest setback, is confined to single digits, leading in only 5 seats. The Tejashwi Yadav-led RJD is leading in only 25 seats. The LJP is leading in 19 seats (these figures may vary slightly when the final results are declared)

This is more than just Nitish's victory, it is the victory of the BJP. It is the victory of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is leading a strong administration at the Center, and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who is at the helm of Bihar's election strategies. The NDA wave of victory in Bihar was achieved with a better performance than in 2020. There is no greater testament than this election victory that Bihar has literally adopted and accepted Nitish Kumar's epithet "Sushasan Babu" (Good Governance Man). Barring a few short breaks, Nitish is moving towards a record of a quarter of a century as Chief Minister.

Bihar witnessed a nationally-focused election following Rahul Gandhi's 'vote chori' allegations. However, it has been proven beyond doubt that the vote chori allegation did not create even a slight vibration in the minds of the common people of Bihar, compared to the tremor it created outside Bihar. Voters now give importance to measures and decisions that directly affect their lives and can improve their standard of living and economic environment. The main problem facing the Congress leadership is the delay in recognising this. The Congress needs to learn from Bihar that no government can be overthrown through empty campaigns that can only influence the literate middle class.

There is no need for additional proof than this election result that Rahul Gandhi's Voter Adhikar Yatra and Tejashwi Yadav's campaign targeting the youth have not reached the grassroots of society. At the same time, the people accepted the call for continued rule by Narendra Modi, who came to lead the NDA's campaign. Backward classes and others were not even allowed to vote in many areas of Bihar decades ago. It was the upper castes who used to register their votes as they pleased. Bihar was historically infamous for high levels of electoral malpractice, including widespread booth capturing. Elections are now being held in a much different situation, where everyone can register their vote in a relatively accurate manner without external influence.

The accusation of 'vote chori' will not impact people with such a background as much as it affects intellectuals. The NDA would not have been able to achieve this landslide victory without getting the votes of women and youth in a good way. Nitish Kumar's two public welfare announcements and actions are factors that have influenced this election more than politics. The measures of depositing Rs 10,000 in the account of each woman through the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rozgar Yojana and allocating Rs 1000 per month to unemployed and adult youth have been effectively reflected in the election results. The seat sharing in the NDA was also completed, avoiding the conflicts that would have occurred in the past. Modi's announcement that Nitish himself would lead the next government was also crucial. The grand alliance's interpretation of this election as a battle between 35-year-old Tejaswi Yadav and 74-year-old Nitish also backfired. Nitish Kumar has achieved this resounding victory through social engineering that changed the caste equations along with the development card.

Nitish Kumar entered mainstream politics through student movements, specifically the Jayaprakash Narayan (JP) movement of the mid-1970s, and was influenced by socialist leader Karpoori Thakur. His steadfastness in following that path has helped him unite various communities and castes. With the BJP becoming the single largest party in Bihar, challenging the BJP in the Hindi heartland of India is becoming a daunting task for the Congress. Nitish highlighted the development that has taken place in the last 20 years in terms of infrastructure, per capita income, life expectancy, infant mortality rate, and education standards. It is natural that campaigns like 'vote theft', which do not directly affect the lives of the people, have been blown away in front of this. The Bihar election results are also a measure of the changing minds of voters in a changing India.