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NEW DELHI: As the Mahagathbandhan named Tejashwi Yadav its main ministerial candidate, the question of who volition pb Bihar if the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) returns to powerfulness has erstwhile again taken centre stage. The NDA has truthful acold refrained from naming main curate Nitish Kumar arsenic its CM face, a soundlessness that has fixed the absorption caller ammunition.Addressing rallies successful Simri Bakhtiyarpur and Keoti connected Friday, Tejashwi claimed that Nitish "will not beryllium made CM again" adjacent if the NDA wins."Amit Shah has made it wide that elected legislators volition determine the CM of Bihar aft elections. Nitish Kumar volition not beryllium made the CM if the NDA is voted to powerfulness again," Yadav told supporters, alleging that JD(U) person had been "hijacked" by BJP."Our 'chacha' (Nitish Kumar) is not successful control. Two radical from Gujarat, Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, are moving Bihar from Delhi," Tejashwi quipped, urging voters to take a "Bihari" implicit a "Bahri" (outsider).
On the different hand, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the NDA’s Bihar run with duplicate rallies successful Samastipur and Begusarai. While helium stopped abbreviated of naming Nitish Kumar arsenic the CM candidate, helium said the NDA "under the enactment of CM Nitish Kumar volition interruption each erstwhile electoral records."So wherefore has the NDA avoided an authoritative announcement naming Nitish arsenic its CM face?
A seasoned subsister with a shifting base
Nitish Kumar, 73, remains 1 of Bihar’s longest-serving main ministers, having helmed the authorities since 2005 crossed 3 successive assembly elections, 2010, 2015 and 2020, albeit nether shifting alliances.
In 2010, helium led the NDA to a landslide triumph with the BJP arsenic partner; successful 2015, helium joined hands with Lalu Prasa's RJD and the Congress nether the Mahagathbandhan banner to decision the BJP; and successful 2020, helium returned to the NDA fold aft different governmental flip.But the JD(U)'s spot has steadily declined, from 115 seats successful 2010 to conscionable 43 successful 2020, adjacent arsenic the BJP has grown stronger wrong the coalition. This erosion, coupled with anti-incumbency, elector fatigue, and the emergence of younger rivals similar Tejashwi, makes it hard for Nitish to clasp his centrality without contest.
The NDA, meanwhile, appears reluctant to face that world publicly.
A conjugation walking connected eggshells
The NDA conjugation successful Bihar includes the BJP, JD(U), Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), and Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM), each with chiseled caste bases and governmental ambitions.
While Nitish remains main minister, the BJP is present the ascendant partner, some organisationally and electorally. Publicly endorsing Nitish again arsenic CM could hazard friction wrong the alliance, with smaller allies wary of being sidelined and the BJP reluctant to look deferential.Without an authoritative announcement, the BJP appears intent connected keeping the question unfastened until aft the results, allowing it to measurement enactment choices depending connected the post-poll arithmetic.
Why fastener yourself successful earlier results?
In a politically fragmented authorities similar Bihar, post-election numbers often dictate enactment outcomes.By not naming Nitish now, the NDA preserves its quality to reassess the enactment equation aft the results, depending connected spot tallies and conjugation dynamics.This ambiguity gives the BJP country to manoeuvre - should it triumph a bulk connected its ain oregon bid a ascendant stock of NDA seats, it tin bargain for greater power oregon adjacent propulsion for a enactment change.
The property question
After astir 2 decades successful power, Nitish faces disposable anti-incumbency, peculiarly among Bihar’s younger voters, galore of whom person lone seen him successful office.The Election Commission estimates that the authorities has implicit 14 lakh first-time voters (aged 18–19) and different 1.6 crore successful the 20–29 property bracket, making the younker ballot decisive.Tejashwi Yadav, 36, has positioned himself arsenic the youthful alternative, promising jobs and change. Against this backdrop, the NDA whitethorn similar not to foreground Nitish excessively heavily. His property and concerns astir wellness could alienate younger voters seeking a generational shift.
Instead, the NDA has chosen to run nether the "double-engine sarkar" banner, foregrounding Prime Minister Narendra Modi's enactment alongside Bihar’s governance record, alternatively than a azygous CM face.This look has served the BJP good successful states specified arsenic Maharashtra, Delhi, Odisha, and Haryana, wherever it has contested without projecting a main ministerial candidate.To antagonistic the "age" communicative against Nitish, the NDA is besides leveraging Chirag Paswan's entreaty among younger voters and Dalit constituencies.
Coalition sensitivities
Projecting Nitish excessively prominently could besides upset different NDA allies who aspire to larger roles, including Chirag Paswan, who has been eyeing enactment visibility wrong his caste base.For the BJP, too, there’s a semipermanent inducement to gradually asseverate its ain enactment successful Bihar alternatively than proceed to play 2nd fiddle. Keeping Nitish's presumption ambiguous helps debar interior resentment and sustains the NDA’s connection of "collective leadership."
Personality to performance
Unlike the opposition, which has intelligibly named Tejashwi arsenic its CM face, the NDA’s run revolves astir governance and continuity alternatively than personality.Its messaging highlights infrastructure expansion, payment schemes, and law-and-order stableness nether NDA rule, attributing recognition jointly to the Centre and the authorities government.This attack allows the confederation to sidestep uncomfortable questions astir Nitish’s longevity and popularity portion emphasising unity nether the PM Modi-led nationalist framework.According to a caller CVoter sentiment poll, Tejashwi Yadav is presently the astir fashionable CM look successful Bihar, with Nitish trailing down adjacent Jan Suraaj main Prashant Kishor, a motion of shifting nationalist sentiment.
A deliberate silence
The NDA's soundlessness connected Nitish's enactment appears deliberate, a calculated determination to clasp maximum flexibility and minimise controversy.The confederation understands that Nitish Kumar remains some an plus and a liability: a acquainted look of governance but besides a awesome of stagnation for immoderate voters.By not committing publicly, the NDA keeps its post-poll options open, ensuring that if elector sentiment tilts 1 mode oregon another, it tin recalibrate accordingly.Nitish Kumar's 20 years of way grounds and estimation arsenic Sushasan Babu (Mr. Good Governance) erstwhile made him the undisputed pivot of Bihar politics. But successful 2025, the crushed has shifted.The BJP’s increasing dominance, elector fatigue, and a generational churn person made Nitish's presumption much conditional than ever.For now, the NDA has chosen ambiguity implicit assertion. Whether that soundlessness helps the confederation oregon weakens it volition beryllium known soon enough.
