Bihar Elections : Vote Responsibly ! Vote Tactfully!

    

    When it comes to politics everything is right. In the midst of COVID there was no urgency to hold Bihar elections but it is happening since political masters at power thinks that this is the best time for a comeback to form government again in Bihar. If it is delayed then the Covid issues would be more visible in terms of job loss others  and it may affect the election adversely for the ruling alliance. People have no choice. PM Modi cautioning and closing down the country due to Covid has also started physical rally in Bihar.

    So, they are right, schools are still closed, colleges closed, normal movement is restricted, trains are still special but election is happening. Physical rally, interaction and all sorts of things are going in full swing. Even the opposition demanded to postpone the elections but it was turned down.

    Sri Nitish Kumar is in power since 2005 barring a brief period when Sri Jitan Ram Manjhi was CM. He is a matured and very seasoned politician and with time become too matured to thwart or sense any political manoeuvre to oust him. Except first term 2005-2010 in which he did excellent work in restoring law and order, improving governance, roads, bridges and starting implementing central funded social projects in Bihar. He got the dividends out of it in 2010 elections but after that he becomes pure politician and uses all sort of way to remain in power. He only ensures that Bihar should not go back to old days but he lacked the charisma and energy to take Bihar to 2nd level of reforms. The Jitan Ram Manjhi period, his egoistical separation from BJP and his alliance with RJD was a complete waste of time. Things started coming back to track again when he re-joined hands with BJP and central funding was made available to Bihar but still sort of next level reform. May be lack of energy , enthusiasm or his going back to BJP to join hand , against his core nature.

    The first Patna metro feasibility of 2010 took 10 years to get on track and now the tendering process has just started. Since 2005 he fails to finalize the shifting or expansion of Patna airport. Now the existing Patna airport and Bihta will serve but it will take another 3-4 years to be fully operational and complete. But still Patna needs one big airport. The time period is 18 years. Bihar still lacks any true four lane roads to connect its capital with any of the major state capitals.  Like this there are hundreds of things which can be put here. We talk about digital transformation or digital economy, the state still looking for a real IT/BPO centre to run from Bihar employing local talents. It spells lack of vision to take Bihar to next level of reforms. No big industry in last 15 years of his rule and no major transformation in infrastructure to attract such industry. The rudimentary hotel and leisure and wedding industry were also shattered due to blanket prohibition in 2016. I agree the prohibition has paid differently but leaders needs to balance out the proposition. The total prohibition created black underhand market for liquor in Bihar growing like anything like the famous prohibition of USA in early last century which fails like anything and created a huge gun culture , underhand economy  and criminal police politician  nexus, which still haunts USA.  In totality the base would be little different but the last 10 years of Nitish government is just an eye wash, nothing worthwhile happened, no vision and it was just status quo of the development started in 2005-2010 period. What this government is counting is law and order and two-lane roads, bridges etc which is in fact the work done in 2005-10. He got voted for that in 2010 and again in 2015. How many times one can cast vote on past achievement.

    The pace of development and growth was slow and there was no vision for Bihar for the next decade of 2020-2030 and beyond.

    He becomes status quoist and the real power went back to few of his trusted bureaucrats and the state limped back to being run by bureaucrats with Nitish stamp.

    The COVID situation was also not handled properly including messing up of migrant return. The migrant suffered at both places , the place of their work and also their home. Suffering at home would take time to fade from their memory. 

    The people of Bihar has voted thrice for his 2005-10 achievement and now the time has come for the people of Bihar to change the tired and exhausted leadership and to take a fresh view for next decade and beyond.

    The best scenario would be in which Nitish Kumar himself offer the CM post to BJP and take a role of mentor or move to gubernatorial position or to central politics. In that case none other than Mr. R K Singh seems to be the right choice for Bihar CM to take Bihar to next level of growth and development. He is full of energy, experience and charisma to do this. He was also one of the main architects of Bihar transformation team in 2005-10 in Nitish Government together with Abhayanand, Amanullah, Prashant Shahi and others.

    If it is not happening then we have two young leaders representing two parties, Chirag and Tejaswi. Both of them are young and the future leader of Bihar. The people of Bihar need to trust them and give mantle to any of them.

    Tejaswi meetings are attracting huge crowds and he is speaking well. His promise of 10 lakh job has been very well timed. If BJP offers job then it is doable but if RJD offers job then the issue of resources crops up. Both BJP and JDU were taken aback by this announcement, JDU reverted by asking from where the resources will come and BJP just offer the double of this number by offering 19 lacs job.

    The RJD ticket distribution was very strategic and they have put strong candidates against JDU and gave away seats to congress and other alliance partners where BJP is fighting. A clever move, some hidden strategy.

    It seems that BJP, JDU and LJP all are looking to replace Nitish Kumar as CM and it is a possibility that in the end all three or any two of three joins hands to oust Nitish Kumar as CM.

    In that sense Bihar election is getting interesting day by day. One more subtle thing has happened in RJD that they have silently removed Lalu and Rabri from posters, pamphlets and put only Tejaswi, this is giving strong message of reaching out to forward castes in Bihar that forget the past and support new leader of RJD who is open and young.

    Election is only a week away and I hope people of Bihar will vote this time very strategically and give Bihar to a party and leader who has lot of energy, enthusiasm, willingness to innovate/experiment and even fail  and full of vision to take Bihar to second level of reform. Otherwise the next decade would be again a mediocre and it will not help Bihari’s in any worthwhile way.

Vote responsibly! Vote tactfully!