Six leaders who will matter the most in Bihar assembly polls

Bihar will go to polls later this year with the Election Commission of India (ECI) announcing the dates on Monday

As Bihar heads to polls, here are six leaders who will be in the thick of action.

PM Modi and Nitish Kumar will be the prominent faces in the upcoming Bihar polls. (ANI file photo)

Narendra Modi

The tallest leader in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the country will also have to make up for the fact that Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar is unlikely to be the campaigning force he was in previous elections. The BJP in Bihar has no state leader who can match the appeal of either Kumar or Tejashwi Yadav from the opposition. In 2020, the BJP came close to becoming the single largest party in the house, and it will want to improve on that.

Nitish Kumar

Despite his age and indifferent health , Nitish Kumar remains the undisputed choice for CM in Bihar. It is to his credit that he is wanted as much by the BJP as the RJD-Congress combine, as he has often proved the difference. There is a popular saying in Bihar that Nitish Kumar never changes, he only changes his partners. This time, perhaps taking a leaf out of recent state elections, Kumar has changed his script and showered freebies, perhaps to offset any anti-incumbency that might work against him after almost two decades as CM.

Tejashwi Yadav

The heir of Lalu Prasad Yadav’s empire came tantalising close to forming the RJD-led government in 2020, but could not make it. Whether he is able to repeat his 2020 show or even do better has to be seen. The RJD has failed to win any election on its own since 2005. The party lacks the ammunition without an active Lalu Prasad, growing dissension within his family and fear of split in its Muslim-Yadav vote bank . Yet, he remains the best bet for the opposition alliance and his role will be vital.

Rahul Gandhi

The Congress leader has for the first time tried to revive the party in a state where it held sway till 1990. Riding piggyback on the RJD, the Congress lost its relevance in the state gradually where politics was dominated by regional satraps. However, for the first time through the ‘Vote Adgikaar Yatra’ in 2015, Rahul tried to seize the initiative to put the Congress in the front seat. But the real question is whether his gamble of making the revision in electoral rolls a key election issue will find resonance among voters.

Prashant Kishor

A new entrant to politics (but not elections and not back-rool deal making), the poll strategist and Jan Suraaj Party founder has been able to create a splash in Bihar through his over two-year long yatra, pointed attacks on senior BJP, JD-U and RJD leaders, and the promise to reinvent Bihar. The question is not whether he will be pull of a black swan event and win, but whether he will win enough votes to spoil the chances of one of the two main players and emerge kingmaker.

Asaduddin Owaisi

The AIMIM created an impact in the minority-dominated Seemanchal region by winning five seats in the 2020 elections. Owaisi is again going to polls in Bihar on his own after failing to strike a deal with the opposition bloc and has the potential to swing minority votes due to his pointed attacks and oratory skills. Last time, four of the AIMIM MLAs switched over to the RJD after the election.