Youth power, embodied by the scion of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) Tejashwi Praasad Yadav (31) and the head of the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), Chirag Paswan (37), aimed to evict Nitish Kumar (69), the Bihar’s six-time chief minister and ruler’s boss Janata Dal (United), in assembly polls, but the latter defied all odds and appears poised for another shot at power.
The ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government in Bihar, which includes coalition partners JD (U) and ally Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), rallied in the Bihar elections in three phases after a performance below average in the first phase of voting. which took place on October 28.
The NDA, despite Paswan’s firing in Kumar and its decision to go it alone, corrected course in the next two rounds, conducted on November 3 and 7, as the BJP unpacked its best weapons in the campaign, including the first Minister Narendra Modi. , to take the wind off the challenger Grand Alliance (GA) or Mahagathbandhan sail and seal off the tiny majority.
Also read: Full coverage of the 2020 Bihar assembly elections
Bihar voters did not give a decisive mandate due to the triangular nature of the contest, which has been the electoral trend in the battlefield state for the past 15 years.
Electorates of more than Rs 7.4 crore were not concerned about the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) — Bihar was the first state in the country to go to the polls amid the pandemic – and female voters also flocked in a thumbs-up to CM’s caste-neutral central constituency.
The BJP cut losses for the JD (U), as the LJP had hurt the latter in more than 40 constituencies, and made massive gains due to its welfare schemes.
Tejaswhi’s million-dollar job offers ultimately didn’t resonate with voters as much as it was perceived.
How did Kumar beat the insurmountable odds?
Kumar remained the axis around which the JD (U) revolved. He opted for his inclusive development work and his initiatives for the empowerment of women, Dalits and the Extremely Backward Classes (EBC) amid rising and sometimes unrealistic voter aspirations.
Kumar felt the heat in the run-up to elections for Bihar’s 243-member legislature from both within and without. At one point, it seemed too hot to handle. PM Modi made the difference and saved the day for the NDA in the end.
Kumar found help in Modi, with whom he disagreed over the latter’s nomination as a candidate for prime minister in the 2014 national elections.
Prime Minister Modi changed the poll narrative, lifted voters’ spirits, and offset the “fatigue factor” from 15 years of Kumar’s uninterrupted rule, the source of the AG’s relentless attack and aided and abetted by sarcastic comments. of Paswan.
Kumar, meanwhile, attacked his former socialist comrade-in-arms and former Bihar CM Lalu Prasad, who is incarcerated in Ranchi following his conviction in multiple forage scam cases. He also attacked dynastic politics and mocked Tejashwi’s million-dollar job offer.
“Those who neglected education, health, electricity, roads and took time to encourage ‘jungle raj’ to promote his family are talking about creating jobs. They could provide only 95,000 jobs during RJD’s 15-year rule. Where will they get money to pay salaries? The creation of one million additional government jobs will cost Rs 1.44 million lakh annually. Will they print tickets? Or will the money come from jail? Don’t be surprised if they start their own ‘kaam-dhandha’ in the name of providing jobs, ”he had said while calling Tejashwi’s offer unrealistic.
He also mocked Prasad’s wife, Rabri Devi, for becoming Bihar CM. “When the husband went to jail, his wife was named CM, but she also did nothing for the women,” he said, referring to the turn of events after Prasad had to resign from the CM post following his involvement in the forage scam.
In the end, Kumar’s perseverance sealed the deal for the NDA, as he continued to remind voters of his arduous journey from the era of flashlights, in an allusion to the RJD electoral symbol, to the era of light-emitting diodes (LED ) high-tech and jungle raj to one of peace and harmony.
He stuck to his development agenda and even accused the opposition of going hand in hand with the liquor mafia to get rid of the ban.
He also touched the hearts of voters, as he appealed during his last public rally in the Purnia district last week that 2020 would be his swan song and that the electorate must give him one last chance to ease his troubles.
Chirag Paswan has his task cut short to save the LJP from a resulting factional dispute
Chirag opposed nominations for the 12 seats in Bihar’s legislative council, ran candidates in the 122 seats where the JD (U) and his Hindustani ally Awam Morcha (Secular) challenged and sang hymns to Prime Minister Modi while routinely making sarcastic remarks about Kumar.
The LJP came to be referred to as the BJP team B, while a cornered JD (U) dubbed it a proxy for the RJD, as Chirag and Tejashwi appeared to be relentless in attacking the CM.
Chirag was relentless in his criticism of Kumar.
He called the Kumar government’s “seven resolutions” a program by the GA to attack the sewage and running water system, a source of corruption and the ban as an abysmal failure.
He was relentless in finding holes in everything that the JD (U) was proud of.
“Please share the development you have made in the state in the last five years since the same days you shared with the prime minister. In 2014, he opposed Modi for the post of prime minister and today he is asking for his mercy. Why are you silent about the management of Covid-19, migration and the misery of the floods? Why does it take five years to obtain a three-year degree? The public will teach you a lesson on November 10 (the day the results of the polls would be announced) ”, he had written in one of his several letters to the CM.
The LJP act was a cutback from 2005, and was noted for ruining Kumar’s party and also greatly aided the RJD cause in raising its score.
Now, he has his task cut short to prevent the LJP from becoming embroiled in a factional dispute.
Chirag took a calculated risk. It may have worked in one direction. But it was of no use to the LJP. He has to live with the label of a party that cuts votes and indulges in negative politics. The vote split has helped both the RJD and the NDA. It made its mark in the tight race, where the margin of victory was small and a fraction of the vote difference turned out to be decisive, ”said Professor NK Choudhary, political analyst.
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