6 months ago
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The verdict successful the two-phase Bihar Assembly election volition beryllium pronounced successful a small implicit a fortnight, connected November 14, but the campaign’s momentum connected the crushed has fixed mode to Chhath festivities, which fell this twelvemonth connected October 27-28. Moreover, a paradigm displacement successful the format of the predetermination run has seen it determination from the crushed to societal media. And from the vigor and particulate of aggravated campaigning person risen a fistful of ascendant themes successful elector conversations.
Firstly, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar inactive appears much popular than different governmental leaders successful the arena but his failing wellness is simply a talking point, particularly among antheral voters. The ruling National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA) ‘Dus Hazaria’ scheme, a notation to the ₹10,000 transferred to ‘Jeevika Didis’ (community mobilisers for self-help groups successful a World Bank-supported initiative) nether the ‘Mukhyamantri Mahila Rozgar Yojana’(CM women’s employment scheme) done Direct Benefit Transfer to the beneficiaries’ slope accounts, has gained immense traction and accolades.
Mr. Kumar has been, for a agelong time, assiduously carving a caste-neutral women’s ballot bank, with respective payment schemes crafted particularly for women nether his baton. Women voters (at 48%) are astir adjacent successful fig to antheral voters successful Bihar. They tin beryllium heard speaking of the ‘Dus Hazaria’ strategy everywhere, proclaiming their enactment for Mr. Kumar.
“We volition each ballot for Nitish Kumar,” a radical of women voters from an Extremely Backward Class (EBC) told this reporter, sitting by the roadside nether the shadiness of a neem (margosa)tree astatine noon connected October 22 successful Samastipur. They were engaged weaving sup-daura (handcrafted bamboo baskets) utilized successful the Chhath festival to transportation fruits and different offerings to the rising and mounting Sun.
Men of the aforesaid group, sitting adjacent and besides weaving baskets, beads of sweat crowding their brow, sounded much cautious. “We person heard helium (Nitish Kumar) is not good these days. He should springiness up his presumption earlier things crook fatal,” they said.
The ruling NDA has fielded 34 women candidates, portion the Opposition Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) has 31 women candidates successful the fray this year.
Tejashwi’s burden
Secondly, voter conversations centre astir Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) person Tejashwi Yadav burdened by the inherited tag of “lawlessness successful Bihar” of his parents’ regimes from 1990 to November 2005. The younger lad of RJD supremo Lalu Prasad is simply a erstwhile Leader of the Opposition successful Bihar Assembly, and was Deputy Chief Minister doubly successful Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) governments. NDA leaders person targeted him implicit the years of “misrule and migovernance” nether the RJD, a absorption Mr. Yadav has struggled to motion off.
Mr. Lalu Prasad has declared his younger lad to beryllium his governmental heir, and Mr. Yadav has announced respective payment schemes for women but voters often callback the “jungle raj” that became a byword for the RJD epoch successful Bihar’s governnance. “It’s good that helium (Mr. Yadav) excessively has announced thing for us, but who tin hide the full lack of instrumentality successful the RJD regime,” voters successful municipality Darbhanga told this reporter.
At 36, Mr. Yadav is fashionable among younger voters. “He is young, and has proved helium means what helium says successful the 17 months during which helium was a Mahagathbandhan Deputy CM,” students returning from a coaching institute successful Darbhanga municipality arsenic the prepared to constitute examinations for ‘government jobs’, said. Mr. Yadav has promised 1 ‘government job’ per household if helium comes to power. “Did Modi ji supply ₹15 lakh to everyone successful the state arsenic helium had promised?” they said, erstwhile asked astir Mr. Yadav’s run promise.
PM’s popularity
Thirdly, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is inactive the astir fashionable person crossed property groups successful some municipality and agrarian constituencies of the State, irrespective of their caste affiliations. Voters talk of Mr. Modi arsenic a “strong person who is tough, and astatine the aforesaid clip takes attraction of each conception of society”. “We request a person similar him,” Ramesh Kushwaha of Vaishali territory said, looking to others sitting with him for confirmation arsenic they nodded.
Mr. Modi has campaigned extensively successful Bihar. On October 30, helium is scheduled to code 2 nationalist meetings astatine Muzaffarpur and Chhapra, and volition clasp a roadshow successful Patna connected November 2. “He is much appealing for america than immoderate different person either successful Bihar oregon the country,” Sanjay Bind, pedalling his rhythm swiftly connected the Mahua-Samastipur roadworthy successful Vaishali district, said.
Congress is back
Fourthly, the Congress party, which was pushed into thing approaching a governmental coma successful the State erstwhile Mr. Prasad led the RJD to powerfulness successful 1990, has yet recovered its stride with the occurrence of Rahul Gandhi’s 14-day, 1,300-km-long Voter Adhikar Yatra crossed 24 districts. Congress leaders and supporters person received a caller lease of life, and the enactment Bihar office Sadaqat Ashram is seen buzzing with enactment aft a agelong time.
Enthused enactment leaders person adjacent pressured the RJD to fto the Congress contention much seats. Several enactment leaders suggested that had Mr. Gandhi stayed for much days successful Bihar, oregon camped here, the contention successful Bihar this clip would person been betwixt “the BJP-led NDA and the Congress-led Mahagathbandhan” , with the enactment reclaiming mislaid ground.
‘Over-hyped’ JSP
Fifthly, the deficiency of traction for the recently launched Jan Suraaj Party, founded by erstwhile canvass strategist Prashant Kishor connected October 2, 2024 successful Patna, has go evident. The JSP is contesting each 243 seats, with 3 candidates withdrawing their nominations. But contempt the hype connected societal media, and successful immoderate sections of accepted media, determination is small grounds of involvement successful the enactment connected the ground.
“It (the JSP) is doing good lone connected societal media. It is over-hyped publicity of the benignant Mr. Kishor was doing for different governmental parties arsenic an adept connected elections, thing else,” Rajesh Kumar, 55, an engineer-turned-stock broker from the Kumhrar constituency successful cardinal Patna, said. “Candidates with a bully property and vocation are not guaranteed to triumph elections successful Bihar. Do you deliberation the Congress enactment campaigner from Patna Sahib, Shashant Shekhar, is successful anyhow little educated than immoderate of the JSP’s candidates, but volition helium triumph the poll? It’s a cardinal dollar question,” Mr. Kumar added.
Several smaller parties person had a small interaction successful immoderate constituencies connected the ground. The All India Majlis-e- Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has caught the attraction of voters successful immoderate constituencies of the Seemanchal (border) districts of northeast Bihar, wherever its beingness whitethorn beryllium impactful successful the results. It’s besides worthy noting that Muslim voters (17.70%) look to stay glued to the Mahagathbandhan.
