The 'big brother' act: How BJP scripted Maharashtra playbook in Bihar

NEW DELHI: The "josh" is precocious for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) arsenic Bihar is each acceptable to get its main curate from the saffron party. Samrat Choudhary was elected the person of the NDA legislative party, paving the mode for him to go the archetypal BJP CM of Bihar.

And with this, the BJP erstwhile again has delivered a masterclass connected "how to ain the alliance."Choudhary, who is expected to instrumentality the oath connected April 15, takes implicit the apical station from Nitish Kumar, who resigned earlier successful the day. It decidedly is simply a precocious infinitesimal for the BJP, which has been trying to support the confederation creaseless and yet person the precocious hand. The announcement besides feels similar a repetition of what happened successful Maharashtra erstwhile Devendra Fadnavis was reinstated arsenic the main curate of the state.

The 'big brother'

For astir of the 2000s, the BJP was the quieter spouse successful Bihar, drafting spot from Nitish Kumar’s credibility and caste coalition. In 2005 and again successful 2010, it was Nitish who led from the front, with JD(U) consistently getting much seats than the BJP.However, this equilibrium began to ace successful 2014. Nitish's determination to locomotion retired of the NDA implicit Narendra Modi arsenic the premier ministerial campaigner backfired badly. Fighting separately, JD(U) was reduced to conscionable 2 Lok Sabha seats and Nitish Kumar resigned from the CM post, taking the motivation responsibility.

In the 2015 assembly elections, the BJP had the largest ballot stock of 25% and 53 seats, but inactive fell abbreviated of powerfulness arsenic the Mahagathbandhan (RJD - 80; JD(U) - 71) stitched unneurotic a stronger societal coalition. When Nitish returned to the NDA successful 2017, the BJP was nary longer the aforesaid player. By 2020, it had intelligibly moved up wrong the alliance, winning importantly much seats than JD(U). The enactment got 74 seats and JD(U) got 43 seats.

Though Nitish remained the CM, the equation wrong the confederation had shifted.By 2025, the BJP had wholly flipped the script. The NDA contested the assembly elections with Nitish Kumar arsenic its CM face. However, the BJP with 89 seats, erstwhile again emerged arsenic the bigger spouse than the JD(U) that got 85 seats. While Nitish Kumar remained the CM, the BJP took power implicit cardinal portfolios similar Home. And yet wrong a year, managed to springiness Bihar its archetypal BJP CM with Samrat Choudhary.

The instrumentality of Fadnavis

Before Bihar, it was Maharashtra wherever BJP applied the akin formula. Here, the BJP showed however alliances could beryllium reworked from within, turning partners into dependents and reclaiming large power without breaking the coalition.There was a clip erstwhile Devendra Fadnavis had to measurement down and Eknath Shinde was made the CM arsenic the Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) divided and came unneurotic with the BJP. However, successful the 2024 assembly elections, the BJP emerged arsenic the azygous largest enactment successful the ruling Mahayuti with 132 of 288 seats. Backed by stronger numbers, the BJP pushed for enactment change, and connected December 5, 2024, Fadnavis took oath arsenic CM, with Shinde moving to the lawman CM role.Once backmost astatine the helm, the BJP moved to centralise power. Key portfolios similar home, concern and instrumentality were retained by the CMO, reducing the operational abstraction for some Shinde and Ajit Pawar, who besides served arsenic lawman CM.

The confederation remained intact, but its interior equilibrium shifted decisively. After Ajit Pawar's decease his woman Sunetra Pawar was fixed his station successful the Maharashtra cabinet. The BJP’s electoral spot further cemented its position. In the January 2026 municipal elections, it performed powerfully crossed municipality centres, including Mumbai.In some Bihar and Maharashtra, the BJP's emergence wrong alliances has shown however to bash it without breaking the coalition. By expanding its ain elector basal portion narrowing the abstraction for its partners, the BJP has shown that alliances tin beryllium a pathway to dominance, not compromise.