Patna (21.06.2025): Will it be a hung Assembly in Bihar in 2025 as there are conflicting reports coming from the state? A section says that the BJP may repeat its performance but Nitish Kumar’s JD (U) might not fare well in the state. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a mission to announce projects one after another to get NDA government repeated once again with a hope to install a BJP Chief Minister in the state.
Surveys are also indicating that JD (U) may prove to be Achilles Heal for the alliance in 2025 Assembly elections. They are trying every bit to sail through but managing HAM and LJP Chirag faction is getting difficult for the BJP. The good thing for the NDA is that recent development in the RJD where party chief Lalu Prasad expelled elder son Tej Pratap and other family feuds have given the NDA a chance to tell the people that they are the only good option in Bihar. But the bad thing is that the Congress with initiatives of Rahul Gandhi is giving sleepless nights to the NDA.
In a changed strategy, the Congress is firing a new salvo on the BJP every day. There are instances where these attacks are misfiring on the Congress but they are unfazed by it. They are of the view that by the time people are able to realise that there is something amiss, there should be a new attack on the BJP. Apparently, this is done with a conscious strategy. Rahul Gandhi getting more aggressive in his speeches, X posts, newspaper write ups and out of box ideas like organising Rozgar Mela in Talkatora stadium and OBC outreach.
For Mahagathbandhan, the issue is that the RJD wants Tejashwi to be declared as alliance’s Chief Ministerial candidate well before the elections are announced without realising the fact that this may prove to be detrimental for the alliance. The Congress wants the alliance to win the election first and to decide the name of the CM afterwards. The problem with the Congress is that it is occupying mind space of people of Bihar but not supported by its the poor organisational set up and for that they solely depend on the RJD.
The RJD too doesn’t have organisational bulwark as such like the BJP but its caste and minority support base are strong pillars which both the parties know very well. They are trying to reach to a point where a respectable solution is reached about but Lalu Prasad is a hard bargainer who is actually running the show for RJD. He wants to see Tejashwi as Bihar CM in his lifetime. VIP leader Mukesh Sahni joining Mahagathbandhan is an added advantage who was with the NDA in the last Assembly elections.
Prashant Kishor of Jan Suraj Party is trying hard to emerge as an alternative to the NDA and Mahagathbandhan but he may end up harming the NDA a couple of seats which may be balanced by damage done to Mahagathbandhan by former IPS Shivdeep W Lande’s newly launched party Hind Sena. Players like Pappu Yadav and AIMIM may not be discounted.
(By Vinod Kumar Shukla)
