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COVER STORY OCTOBER 17, 2025 | The Indian Eye 5

control. The coming days will reveal direct engagement across districts.
whether its internal strains translate His team claims to have reached
into lost seats or renewed cohesion. thousands of villages during the “Jan
Suraaj Padyatra,” building a network
A POPULIST PUSH of volunteers and local influencers.
Though the party lacks the organiza-
he Mahagathbandhan (Grand tional machinery of its rivals, its clean
Alliance) — comprising the image and strategic discipline make
TRashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), it a factor that neither the NDA nor
Congress, and Left parties — has Mahagathbandhan can ignore.
mounted an aggressive campaign Political observers believe that
centered on youth aspirations and even a modest vote share for Jan
“economic justice.” At its forefront Suraaj — say, between 5% and 10%
stands Tejashwi Yadav, the young — could split votes in key constitu-
RJD leader and Leader of Opposi- encies, especially among young and
tion, whose bold announcement of first-time voters disenchanted with
guaranteeing a government job for both major alliances. Kishor’s entry
every household has electrified the has therefore transformed the Bihar
political landscape. election into a truly triangular con-
“In every family in Bihar where test, adding unpredictability to an al-
no one currently holds a government ready complex political field.
job, a new legislation will be enacted
to ensure employment,” Tejashwi de- LoP in Bihar Legislative Assembly and RJD leader Tejaswi Yadav addresses during a road THE NATIONAL PICTURE
clared in Patna. “Within 20 days of
forming the government, this law will show in Patna (ANI Photo) he Bihar Assembly election is
be passed, and within 20 months, ev- not just a regional contest; it’s
ery family without a government job Yet, challenges remain. backroom tactician to front-line re- Ta national political litmus test.
will have at least one member em- Seat-sharing talks within the alliance former. His movement, built on For the NDA, a victory would reaf-
ployed.” are still ongoing, and ideological dif- grassroots mobilization and promises firm its ability to manage regional
While critics call it populist and ferences among partners could com- of clean governance, has released its allies and maintain dominance ahead
unrealistic, the promise has resonat- plicate campaign coordination. Still, first list of 51 candidates and plans to of the 2026 Uttar Pradesh election
ed deeply among Bihar’s vast unem- for the first time in years, the Grand contest all 243 seats. and the 2029 Lok Sabha polls. For the
ployed youth population. Congress Alliance appears to have a message Jan Suraaj presents itself as an opposition INDIA bloc, Bihar offers
MLA Shakeel Ahmad has backed the that connects both emotionally and alternative to the “corrupt and com- a chance to showcase unity and prove
move, calling it a “collective decision economically with Bihar’s voters. placent” political class, positioning that an anti-BJP front can mobilize
of the Mahagathbandhan.” The op- Kishor as a people’s reformer rather both social justice and economic is-
position’s messaging now combines THE KISHOR FACTOR than a conventional politician. His sues into a cohesive electoral force.
social justice — RJD’s traditional campaign stresses local governance, If the Mahagathbandhan per-
plank — with a new emphasis on mid the familiar NDA–Ma- decentralization, education, and forms well, it would boost Tejashwi
economic empowerment, seeking to hagathbandhan duel, Prashant healthcare, themes that resonate with Yadav’s stature within the INDIA
appeal to a generation weary of mi- AKishor’s Jan Suraaj has an electorate fatigued by years of po- bloc and could influence alliance
gration and underdevelopment. emerged as a wildcard capable of re- litical instability. equations nationally, especially
Adding intellectual heft to its drawing Bihar’s political geography. Unlike the rhetoric-heavy cam- among non-Congress regional lead-
campaign, the Congress has released Once a celebrated political strategist paigns of established parties, Kishor’s ers. Conversely, if the NDA manages
a sharp critique titled “Bees Saal Vi- for multiple national parties, Kishor approach has been methodical — to retain Bihar despite visible fatigue,
naash Kaal” (20 Years of Bad Gover- is now attempting to transform from blending extensive field research with it will strengthen the BJP’s argument
nance), a detailed booklet highlighting that the INDIA bloc remains frag-
alleged failures of the “double-engine mented and unviable.
government.” At a press conference As Bihar heads toward polling
in Patna, senior Congress leaders Jai- day, the air is thick with promises, slo-
ram Ramesh, Ashok Gehlot, and Bh- gans, and uncertainty. Nitish Kumar’s
upesh Baghel underscored that Bihar coalition banks on experience and
stands “at a decisive juncture,” with infrastructure, Tejashwi Yadav’s front
two clear paths: one of “social harmo- rides on emotion and economic hope,
ny and economic growth” under the and Prashant Kishor’s movement em-
Grand Alliance, and another of “stag- bodies the frustration of a generation
nation under the NDA.” that wants change beyond rhetoric.
The Mahagathbandhan’s narra- This triangular contest is more
tive is emotionally charged. Tejashwi’s than a fight for 243 Assembly seats.
repeated line — “umr kacchi hai, par It is a mirror of India’s evolving de-
zubaan pakki hai” (“I may be young, mocracy — where tradition collides
but my word is firm”) — has become with ambition, ideology competes
both slogan and statement of intent. with pragmatism, and old alliances
By combining youthful energy with face the test of time. The outcome in
Lalu Prasad Yadav’s legacy of social Bihar will not just decide who governs
justice, Tejashwi hopes to transcend Patna; it may also offer the first real
the old caste lines and present himself Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor addresses a press conference in Patna (ANI Photo) glimpse of what lies ahead for Indian
as a new face of Bihar’s future. politics in the decade to come.

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