One-man show

Nitish Kumar's positive track record is the main theme of the campaign in Bihar.

in Patna

THE popular mood in most of Bihar's 243 constituencies, including the ones that went to the polls in October, and the campaign thrusts of the main players seem to point to a decisive tilt in the State's political preference. And Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is, by all indications, emerging as the gainer.

The four main players in the Assembly election are the Janata Dal (United)-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) coalition led by Nitish Kumar, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)-Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) combine, which forms the principal opposition, the Congress, and the Left alliance formed through the coming together of the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist), or the CPI-ML, the Communist Party of India ( Marxist), or the CPI(M), and the Communist Party of India (CPI).

In most constituencies, it is the Chief Minister's track record that is the most talked about subject, edging out the themes that had dominated the early stages of the campaign. The ruling coalition, of course, had harped on the positive changes brought about by Nitish Kumar's government. The RJD-LJP combine's campaign picked out the government's deficiencies and failures, while the Congress tried to establish that the State government had not made full use of Central funds and was not such a great success as it was being made out to be. The confusion on political preferences among sections of the minority community caused by the September 30 verdict of the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court in the Babri Masjid-Ramjanmabhoomi title suit was the other element of the campaign in its earlier phase.

The JD(U)-BJP combine claimed that the past five years were the best ever in Bihar's history and that the regime had brought about a paradigm shift in the State's politics by bringing development issues to the forefront, whereas caste-oriented tussles had been predominant in earlier years. The RJD-LJP campaign argued that caste still played a role in the State's politics and alleged that castes aligned with opposition leaders and parties, such as Yadavs and Dussadhs (predominantly supporters of RJD leader Lalu Prasad and LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan, respectively), were deliberately bypassed in development programmes. It claimed that even sections of the upper castes such as the Bhumihars and Brahmins, which supported the ruling combination, were given short shrift by the government. The Congress claimed that real stability and progress could be achieved only by that party.

But as the polling, which is being held in phases, and the campaign progressed over the past one month, talk of Nitish Kumar's positive contribution overshadowed everything else. Travelling across constituencies spread over nine districts in central and north Bihar, this correspondent came across scores of villages, small towns and cities where it was the Chief Minister's performance that formed the principal theme of election-related discourse.

Indeed, Nitish Kumar seems to have far outstripped even his own government in the popular imagination people talk as if he alone is responsible for all the good work, and it is as if the rest of his government does not even exist. A group of villagers at Jhaiphan Chowk near Sheohar explained why they thought so highly of him. There are people of different tendencies, ranging from good to indifferent to bad, in the ruling coalition, and they have different interests and priorities. But Nitish Babu keeps an eye on all of them and controls them, leading the government on the right path. Of course, there is much more to be done, but he has at least brought security to everyday life in Bihar and improved facilities for education and health, all the while empowering downtrodden communities such as the Extremely Backward Castes [EBC] and women. He has certainly made a beginning and put Bihar on track, said Dinesh Kumar, the most articulate member of the group. The line that can be heard again and again across these constituencies is: Nitish Babu ne kuch kiya hai (Nitish Kumar has done something). None of the issues raised by the opposition parties has been able to match the widespread popular response that the Chief Minister's track record has evoked. The RJD-LJP combine's caste-oriented campaign works to an extent in areas dominated by the Yadavs and Dussadhs. However, even in many Yadav-dominated villages, one hears the assertion Nitish Babu ne kuch kiya hai. The Congress' charge of inadequate use of Central funds does not seem to have cut much ice with the public.

Activists and candidates of the Left parties that this correspondent spoke to said that the so-called changes brought about by the current regime were not fundamental and would collapse in the absence of a proper political and economic vision. We are using this election basically to present our point before the public, said CPI(ML) State secretary Nand Kishore Prasad.

Nitish Kumar told Frontline that his contention of Bihar going through a paradigm shift based on an agenda of development was being borne out by the popular mood. He admitted that the influence of caste had not been wiped out, but said: I visualise a stage when issues of development become the primary and overwhelming parameter in political and social discourse, and I will wait for the results of this election to see how far we have gone in that direction.

While it is true that there is considerable appreciation for the State government's development and populist initiatives, these are not entirely unaffected by caste factors. Nitish Kumar has attracted near-total support from the EBCs, comprising as many as 94 small castes that are positioned socially between the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and Dalits. These castes cumulatively account for approximately 32 per cent of the population. Nitish Kumar's government extended to the EBCs reservation in local self-government. His initiatives for the welfare of Maha Dalits, the weakest among the Dalits, also ensured support for him from a number of Dalit communities.

The empowerment of women as a class through 50 per cent reservation for them in local self-government has also created a new support base for the Chief Minister and his coalition. According to the senior JD(U) leader Sivanand Tiwari, this election has witnessed the virtual creation of a new empowered caste and class in the State. That newly empowered segment is women and they are rooting for Nitish Kumar in huge numbers, he told Frontline. At meeting after meeting, Nitish Kumar ends his speeches with an exhortation to this new constituency: he reminds the women in the audience that it was he who took steps to give them 50 per cent reservation and tells them he seeks further support to do more good things. Ensure that voting is the first thing you do on polling day and do not give food to your menfolk if they do not go to vote, he says to great ovation.

While Nitish Kumar's campaign is marked by a quiet confidence, that of his principal adversary, Lalu Prasad, is defensive. The RJD leader prefaces almost all his election speeches with an apology: Humse agar koi galti hui ho to maaf kar dena...Is baar taqat do rail ki tarah Bihar ko nahi chamka diya to mera naam Lalu nahi (Pardon me if I have committed any mistakes.... Give me power this time and if I don't brighten Bihar like the Railways then my name is not Lalu). The RJD-LJP combine is essentially banking on a backlash from the Yadavs, an OBC community, and a section of the upper castes who are upset with the empowerment of EBCs and Maha Dalits. But it may not be enough to upset Nitish Kumar's apple cart.