Bihar Elections 2020: Smart Voters vs Clever-by-Half Politicians

In Bihar, Nitish Kumar is not weak but a young leader like Tejashwi Yadav has also emerged and the fight is intense.

The Quint's Sanjay Pugalia analyses the political scenario in Bihar.

(Photo: The Quint)

Video Editor: Vivek Gupta
Video Producer: Devika Shah

The 2020 Bihar Elections, is a simple confrontational poll where the smart voters face the clever by half politicians of the state.

In fact, more than politics, politicians in this eastern state seem to teach philosophy to their voters.

For instance, Sushant Singh Rajput's death case, which gained such significance that it was assumed to affect the upcoming elections. However, nobody talks about it now.

Secondly, the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) has started making rhetorics against Nitish Kumar. It was known to everyone that the LJP is contesting elections as BJP's ‘B’ Team due to which Kumar is constantly questioning the stance of the BJP.

Thirdly, no single party is seeking a majority in Bihar. They want to form a coalition government as no party has the ability to amass 51 percent seats in the state.

Leaders in Bihar Are Not Answering the Queries of Biharis

Moreover, the people of Bihar are raising questions on poverty, unemployment, inequality, and development. But the leaders are trying to sell issues of nationalism, national development, etc.

There should not be any misconception that NDA can win the Bihar election because it has mechanism, means and the face of Nitish Kumar. But a young leader like Tejashwi has also come to the forefront and this fight is becoming more intense.

Bihar ≠ Casteism

People make a mistake by thinking that casteism is a synonym for Bihar. This is a big illusion because casteism was present in politics earlier but the media has been stretching it till now.

For example, BJP is presenting itself as an upper-caste party in Bihar, despite the fact that non-upper-caste people dominate the state.

(Photo: The Quint)

(Photo: The Quint)

What Makes the Voters of Bihar Smart?

Bihar is probably the only state so far where people have not made up their minds to vote for a single party. The public gives a fragmented mandate in Bihar. It shows that the people of Bihar still don’t trust any party.

The mood of public in Bihar elections is plural, democratic, progressive, and even strong leaders fear it.

The Role of 'Silent Voter'

Earlier, the people of Bihar would make up their minds before the elections, but now they are weighing their options before casting their vote. There is a large number of such 'silent' and 'undecided voters' in Bihar who can change the state’s political scenario.