RJD base secure but faces Modi voter challenge: ‘Not just thinking of Bihar but of country’

This election in Bihar is being fought on a very untidy field. Here, the Opposition’s grand alliance or Mahagathbandhan that was put together with much flamboyance and fanfare in 2015 to take on the Narendra Modi-BJP, has been dramatically reconstituted, most leaders and candidates on both sides of the political fence have changed sides since, many more than once, and Nitish Kumar most prominently.

In Bihar, unlike in many other states like Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, political actors zig-zag between all parties, there is no pattern here of a one-way flow towards a dominant BJP.

Not just the Mahagathbandhan story, the Bihar story itself has seen a steady waning — from the widespread hope once sparked by Nitish Kumar’s attempt to build on the radical gains made by Lalu Yadav in a state of large inequalities, by taking the caste-centric slogan of “samajik nyay” or social justice and joining it with the plank of “vikas” or development. There was visible progress on the basics of sadak-bijli-paani but the Nitish model stalled before taking the next step to higher education-udyog-naukri (jobs and industry) and meandered into the dead-end of prohibition or sharab-bandi.

The 2010 Assembly election was an unusual election, remembers Abhayanand, who served as DGP in the Nitish government that was seen to make a difference, visible improvements in law and order its centrepiece. Because, “in it the ruling party was brought back not for making promises, but because of their fulfilment”. “After that, especially after 2013-14”, he says, “there has been a steep decline …”. He is referring to Nitish’s exit from his alliance with the BJP, and his decision to tie up with Lalu Yadav’s RJD, as the turning point. Nitish, of course,