After months of debate over the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, the Election Commission has fired the starting gun. The assembly polls are being held after the festive season, Diwali and Chhath puja. The elections will be held in two phases: November 6 and 11, and the results will be declared on November 14.
This round of assembly polls hold significance as these are billed as the last electoral battle of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who has defined Bihar’s politics for two decades.
For years, Nitish has built his reputation on good governance, pitching it as answer to jungle raj of the Lalu Prasad era. But that did not stop him from changing sides when it appealed to him. Now, with the 2025 assembly election schedule announced, the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is pitching him as the CM candidate; these polls will be a referendum on his tenure. The Bharatiya Janata Party has thrown its weight behind him again, as they are aware of his importance. Other three allies, Chirag Paswan, Jitan Ram Manjhi and Upendra Kushwaha, too, have supported his candidature after voicing doubts on earlier occasions.
On the ground, the political theatre has been underway for months. Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav, buoyed by his 2020 near-miss, has carried his party across districts with the message of jobs for youth. His campaign was aided by Congress’ 'vote theft' charges. Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, carried out a statewide yatra as the Opposition’s main attack on the Election Commission and the BJP.
And then there is Prashant Kishor, the third, most unpredictable figure. Once the backroom strategist who helped craft campaigns for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Nitish Kumar, and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, he has now stepped out front with his Jan Suraaj party. His critics argue that he has no caste base, no electoral arithmetic, but given his skills as an election strategist, he has been able to build a campaign around his election debut.
Kishor, in the recent weeks, targeted the ruling alliance leaders, pitching himself as Nitish Kumar’s main opponent. Will he end by dividing the Opposition votes and dent Mahagathbandhan's (grand alliance) chances or win enough seats to emerge as a kingmaker, he will be keenly watched.
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For Nitish Kumar, who has built his reputation on work done in the last two decades, he will lead the NDA campaign alongside the BJP, banking on welfare schemes, infrastructure projects, and the promise of continuity. During the past few months, he, along with the Centre, has been on an overdrive to launch new schemes, and increase cash incentives for various segments of the society, fearing anti-incumbency could dent his chances.
But his pitch collides with two forces: Tejashwi’s charge to lead the state, and Prashant Kishor’s election management. Tejashwi’s appeal is rooted in Mandal politics comprising Yadavs and Muslims, but his language is aspirational: jobs, migration, and healthcare.
What gives the 2025 Bihar contest its particular texture is the sense of generational change. At 74, many feel that Nitish Kumar is contesting to become chief minister for the last one time, given concerns regarding his health. Moreover, if his party scores less than a respectable number of seats, his claim for the seat will dwindle further even, if NDA gets the majority. Many cite the Maharashtra example – when incumbent Chhief Minister Eknath Shinde, Shiv Sena leader, was the face during the polls, but after polls, BJP installed its own CM. |
