OPINION | ‘Sushasan Babu’ has the last laugh as Bihar’s women voters show who calls the shots

Nitish Kumar's delivery mechanism and chilly reminders of the ‘Jungle Raj’ consolidated the support. (Source: PTI)

Bihar has spoken and the message will ring loud and clear for a long time to come. By the time this column was completed, the only question remaining to be answered was whether the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) would break the 2010 record of 206 seats or just stop short of it.

NDA partners BJP, JDU, LJP and HAM were locked in a contest as to who would have the better strike rate. The NDA allies were in contest among themselves because there was no competition with the opposition.

Tejashwi trailing in the family bastion sums up the opposition story

In the opposition camp the prospects couldn't have been more dismal. Tejashwi Yadav, the CM face of the Mahagathbandhan, was trailing from Raghopur, the family bastion. Congress is sweating to reach five seats, the target set by AIMIM, often referred to as a 'fringe' player. Jan Suraj and VIP, two parties whose leaders grabbed the maximum media space, were at a duck with no chances of opening their account. Tej Pratap, Lalu Yadav's estranged son, was not even in contest in Mahuwa.

A hint of what was in store

Exit polls clearly failed to gauge the scale of the victory even though almost all of them had indicated a comfortable return of the NDA. But weeks before Deepawali, a back-room person, engaged with the election management of the BJP, had told this columnist that 'we are at a point where we can match the 2010 performance'. Either it was prophetic or perfectly well calculated.

If there was any election the Mahagathbandhan 'could' have clicked, it was this one. Nitish Kumar appeared physically frail and mentally withdrawn. Prashant Kishor was saying all the right things the youth wanted to hear. Tejashwi was making moves to throw away the ‘Jungle Raj’ tag and focusing on jobs/ employment as his overarching campaign theme.

Yatras without a meaningful purpose

And then they started losing the plot. Rahul Gandhi embarked on his Voter Adhikar Yatra which failed to resonate on the ground. Two days after the Yatra no one was talking about it in Bihar and his partner Tejashwi has embarked on a Yatra of his own! But after the Yatra suddenly Tejashwi stopped going out. After many days of back and forth, the Congress finally declared him as CM candidate but precious time had been lost.

‘Das Hazariya’ impact

Meanwhile, Nitish Kumar had found his mojo back and in his own signature, under-rated style was criss-crossing the length and breadth of Bihar. The Mukhyamantri Mahila Rozgar Yojana, locally called the ‘Das Hazariya’, was being transferred to eligible beneficiaries. NDA was listing out the good work done by the government. Which way the women wanted to vote was amply clear but the youth was giving mixed signals.

Tejashwi's promise of a government job to every household was termed a game changer by the media. But clearly he wasn't sure of its success. Just hours after his promise, youngsters were questioning its practicality.

That is why, on the last day of the first phase campaign, he announced Rs 30,000 to every beneficiary on next Makar Sankranti as a one-time payment of the Maai Bahin Maan Yojana.

The women voters’ bulwark of Nitish Kumar

But the women chose to stick with the tried and tested. Even the youth felt that if jobs was a challenge, Nitish and Modi stood a better chance of solving the crisis than the challenger Tejashwi. Nitish Kumar's delivery mechanism and chilly reminders of the ‘Jungle Raj’ consolidated the support.

Commentators giving the entire credit to the Das Hazariya are being lazy and over simplistic. If cash in hand was the only incentive, women would not have rallied for the NDA like this. A safer environment, greater say in politics, reservation in government jobs and fear of ‘Jungle Raj’s’ return all contributed to it.

Verdict 2025 has broken caste moulds

But even that does not explain the scale of the victory. This mandate has broken the caste moulds which have been a constant. Mahagathbandhan folding up below 50 is enough to show that the Muslim-Yadav combine, considered an invincible formula, has been shattered this time. So is the presumption that caste leaders command a majority of their caste-vote. Mukesh Sahni is a case in point. He did not even get Mallah votes, leave alone the other allied castes.

Except Bhojpur, Mahagathbandhan has been washed out in all regions of Bihar. Their leaders have reacted predictably by blaming CEC, calling Bihar women greedy and throwing muck at each other. But if blaming EC had to stick, SIR would not have got a thumbs up in Bihar.

The next government in Bihar needs to hit the button from day one. After roads, law and order, electricity and social empowerment, it is time to create an investment ecosystem, promote entrepreneurship and ensure employment for all segments.

NDA has created history. It is time to start a historic tenure.

(Smita Mishra is Advisor, Prasar Bharati.)

Views are personal and do not represent the stand of this publication.