As Bihar heads into another fiercely contested election, the mood on the ground feels like a simmering pot — familiar ingredients, but a growing impatience for something new. The opinion polls suggest what every chai shop in Patna already knows: it’s a tight race. Tejashwi Yadav’s RJD-led INDIA bloc has nudged ahead in projected vote share, but Nitish Kumar’s NDA, buoyed by Modi’s popularity and its organizational muscle, still holds its fortress in many districts.
The story, however, lies beyond the numbers in the weary eyes of Darbhanga’s youth, in the restless chatter of Chhapra’s bazaars, and in Patna’s urban pragmatism.
Darbhanga: ‘Change, but with caution’
In Darbhanga the FPJ team landed straight into the high octane election rally of Rahul and tejaswmi, the first big joint one. Boisterous young men in drives turned up to hear the leaders and the support for Tejaswi was palpable. ‘Qila dheh jayega is baar’ proclaimed one sprightly young man. And immediately one can see the electorate here is politically conscious, opinionated, articlaye and is not one who can be taken for a ride. This is no Maharshtra or Madhya Pradesh, this is not even UP despite the proximity, this is Bihar. Voices here are not ones that mince words when they want to say who they support.
Darbhanga rural is a seat currently held by RJD’s Lalit Kumar Yadav and JDU has fielded its district president Ishwar Mandal hoping to dethrone the incumbent.
Chhapra: Where caste remains the stubborn shadow
When we drove west to Chhapra constituency in Saran district, the story shifts gears. The NDA supporters show up for a PM rally in large numbers and here you see a marked change. The modi factor seemed larger than the Nitish. Candidate pull is subservient to Modi image and supporters here are rooting for Modi. In his speech the PM targeted the youth saying that youth of Bihar will be his main focus. The BJP changed its candidate here to a woman candidate to contest against hugely popular Khesari Lal Yadav by fielding a Baniya woman, Choti Kumari, caste and gender both factors being played in deftly by the NDA. n.
The INDIA bloc’s charm, led by Tejashwi’s youthful swagger, does attract younger voters. Yet caste equations continue to whisper their old stories in every paan shop debate.
Patna: Where development trumps dynasty
If Darbhanga questions and Chhapra calculates, Patna weighs. In the capital, where metro lines snake through crumbling heritage, voters are measuring governance, not legacy. “Show us the employment data, not the drama,” says Ravi Anand, a young IT professional from Rajendra Nagar. A tea shop owner asks the million-dollar question, ‘why are graduates like me selling tea in Bihar’.
The much-touted Women vote seemed deeply divided, caste factor is now in tussle with Lakhpati didi scheme of 10000 rupees for every adult woman to start a business. We met women who said 10,000 is a pittance and we cannot be bought over with money, while there are others who sang praises for a leader who empowered them to become entrepreneurs and so Nitish-Modi is what works for them
As I pack my notes in the sprawling Bihar Museum, one that has become a must-visit for tourists in India, I ask my driver Ajay Chaurasia who was our constant companion throughout the travels- ‘to ajay ji kya lagta hain aapko’ and his response is ‘hum to Vikash ke liye vote dalenge’
