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The Bihar Assembly elections are once again at the center of national political debate. Discussions are ongoing about how the Election Commission’s SIR (Special Intensive Review) will impact the results. Meanwhile, the BJP’s new election slogan has sparked another debate in political circles. The BJP’s new slogan is: “Bihar has picked up the pace of development. NDA government again.” This slogan is surprising to everyone, from the general public to political pundits, because it lacks Nitish Kumar’s name. Although this BJP election slogan hasn’t been formally launched, interestingly, several prominent state BJP leaders have begun promoting it through their social media platforms.
You may recall that during the 2015 Bihar Assembly elections, the slogan was: “There is spring in Bihar, there is Nitish Kumar,” meaning Nitish Kumar emerged as the spring in Bihar. He had been called “Sushasan Babu” in the state since 2005, and after 2010, he was also called the “Vikas Purush” of Bihar. When the 2020 elections came, the slogan “Why think, Nitish Kumar is fine.” This slogan seemed to endorse his work over the past fifteen years. However, the BJP’s 2025 election slogan has completely eliminated him. So what should we understand? What will happen this time in Bihar? Where has the talk of “spring” gone? Has the BJP’s mission in Bihar been accomplished by Nitish Kumar?
Does the BJP leadership also believe that the time has come for Nitish’s retirement? The response from Nitish Kumar and JDU leaders on this issue is awaited. For now, JDU leader KC Tyagi says that this will not make any difference. However, the phrase “Nitish is necessary” and “compulsory” is very popular in Bihar politics. Nitish has established his presence and dependency in the state’s politics in such a way that without him, neither the RJD nor the BJP can accomplish their mission. Despite this, the BJP’s slogan doesn’t mention either the JDU or Nitish Kumar, which is bound to raise questions within the corridors of power.
Be it the BJP’s central leadership or state-level leaders, everyone has consistently maintained that the upcoming Bihar elections will be fought under the leadership of PM Modi and Nitish Kumar. So why did the BJP forget Nitish Kumar’s name this time? What could this possibly signify? The obvious question is: if the NDA returns to power after the elections, will someone else be the CM face?
Has the “Nitish Kumar” slogan become risky?
Has the BJP leadership realized that using the Nitish Kumar slogan, like in previous assembly elections, could be risky this time? Given Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Bihar and the way Tejashwi Yadav is consistently challenging the government in various surveys, how much magic can Nitish’s name and face alone have? It’s possible the BJP considered using the NDA government slogan necessary to give Nitish Kumar a booster boost.
Tejashwi raises questions about Nitish’s health
It is noteworthy that opposition parties in Bihar, especially RJD and Congress leaders, have long ago begun propagating that Nitish Kumar’s name and face are merely a facade in the 2025 elections. Tejashwi Yadav has been the most vocal attacker. Tejashwi has raised questions about Nitish Kumar’s health and his efficiency. Tejashwi even alleged that Nitish Kumar has fallen into a coma and is now beyond his capacity to handle power. Among Congress leaders, Akhilesh Singh has also questioned Nitish’s political future.
Prashant Kishore also targets Nitish
It is noteworthy that no matter how positive Nitish Kumar’s personality track record has been in Bihar over the past two and a half decades, the ground feedback on his agility is now negative. Prashant Kishore, founder of Jan Suraj, who is emerging as a prominent leader in Bihar, has also spoken out on this issue. Prashant Kishor appears to be rapidly expanding his support base in Bihar and has questioned Nitish Kumar’s current administrative capabilities. However, Prashant Kishor targets both the RJD and the BJP. Prashant believes Bihar needs a third option and is focusing on that.
Nitish now vows to stay with the NDA
Since breaking ties with the RJD before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Nitish Kumar has repeatedly stated from public platforms that he is back in the NDA. He was with the NDA before, but he had drifted away from it, but he will not do so again. Nitish Kumar makes this statement especially when Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on stage with him. When the camera focuses on Nitish’s statement, Prime Minister Modi appears pleased to hear it.
However, no one has asked Nitish why he feels the need to repeat this repeatedly. Now, the Grand Alliance leaders in Bihar can claim that Nitish is now with the NDA, so this BJP slogan is meant to bring all parties together. The BJP can still argue that the government will be formed by the NDA and Nitish Kumar will be the Chief Minister.
Nitish’s image is also marked by the tag of “Paltu Ram”
It’s also worth noting that Nitish Kumar has been in power in Bihar since 2005. With the exception of Jitan Ram Manjhi’s tenure, he has held the Chief Minister’s post for nearly two decades. During this time, he formed a government in Bihar in alliance with RJD’s Lalu Prasad Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav. He then returned to the NDA. His internal turmoil within the NDA-India coalition led to widespread criticism. He was even called “Paltu Ram.” This also affected Nitish’s image.
However, neither the BJP nor the RJD has a concrete answer to his changing image. Several large and small surveys have recently been released regarding who will win power in the upcoming Bihar elections. Almost all surveys indicate the impact of anti-incumbency. Nitish Kumar has lagged behind Tejashwi Yadav in the race for the CM position. However, he has the support of Prime Minister Modi’s name and face.
The BJP likely wants to send two signals with its new election slogan. The first signal is that Nitish Kumar may or may not become the Chief Minister. The second attempt is to satisfy those leaders within the BJP who no longer want to see Nitish Kumar as the Chief Minister.
