Bihar election – News Analysis India

BJP Leadership Race: Nitin Nabin Submits President Nomination

News Analysis India — Mon, 19 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

In a move that could reshape the Bharatiya Janata Party’s command structure, senior leader Nitin Nabin is set to submit his papers for national president on Monday at the party’s New Delhi headquarters. Expectations are high for a star-studded turnout of BJP heavyweights nationwide.

Sources within the party indicate participation from several chief ministers, state chiefs, parliamentarians, and other key figures, highlighting the event’s importance as a showcase of solidarity before the leadership handover.

The timeline, outlined by Returning Officer K. Laxman, allows nominations from 2-4 PM, with immediate scrutiny until 5 PM and withdrawals permitted until 6 PM. Should contests arise post-withdrawal, voting proceeds on January 20, culminating in the announcement of the new chief.

‘Voting only if necessary, and results the same day,’ Laxman clarified on Friday. This electoral process relies on a broad electoral college of national and state council members.

Constitutional requirements are stringent: endorsement by 20 state electoral college members, four active terms, and 15 years of uninterrupted membership.

JP Nadda, the incumbent since his 2020 unopposed election following his working president role from 2019, now faces this potential shift. Nabin’s triumphant Bankipur win in Bihar by a massive 51,000-vote margin has cemented his reputation as a formidable organizer.

Observers view this as more than a formality; it’s a strategic affirmation of BJP’s cohesive machinery, poised to propel the party forward in the dynamic political landscape.

Tejashwi Yadav’s Youth vs. Nitish Kumar’s Reign in Bihar

News Analysis India — Fri, 24 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Bihar’s political landscape is set for a dramatic showdown as the Grand Alliance has named 36-year-old Tejashwi Yadav as its Chief Ministerial candidate. This strategic move pits a young, fresh face against the incumbent, Nitish Kumar, who has governed the state for two decades. The alliance aims to galvanize the crucial Muslim-Yadav voting bloc, which constitutes a significant portion of the electorate, and offer a compelling alternative to Nitish Kumar’s long tenure.

The strategy hinges on Tejashwi’s youth and his ability to connect with a younger generation of voters, coupled with a potential leadership vacuum within the NDA. With over 16 million young voters between 20 and 29, and a million first-time voters, Tejashwi’s focus on jobs and development could resonate strongly. The alliance is also banking on re-energizing its core M-Y (Muslim-Yadav) support base, which has shown signs of fragmentation.

However, this gambit faces considerable risks. Elevating a Yadav leader might alienate other backward communities, a critical demographic for electoral success. The RJD’s candidate selection has already fueled this concern, with a disproportionate number of Yadavs among its OBC nominees. Furthermore, the BJP is actively campaigning on the legacy of “Jungle Raj” from the 1990s, seeking to associate Tejashwi with his father Lalu Prasad Yadav’s past administration. The Grand Alliance’s internal disputes and delayed announcement also mean the NDA has had a significant head start in their campaign efforts.

BJP Deploys 45 ‘Players’ in Bihar’s Political Battleground

News Analysis India — Sat, 27 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

As the Bihar Assembly elections approach, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has intensified its preparations. The party has deployed a special force of 45 leaders to establish a robust network from the booth level to the Lok Sabha and Assembly constituencies. These leaders, drawn from various states, have been assigned responsibilities for each Lok Sabha constituency. Further deployments at the Assembly level are planned in the coming days, with each leader tasked with overseeing six Assembly constituencies. Key figures including Home Minister Amit Shah, Bihar election in-charge Dharmendra Pradhan, co-in-charge C.R. Patil, and Keshav Prasad Maurya, along with Bihar in-charge Vinod Tawde, attended a crucial meeting in Patna. During this meeting, the visiting leaders were briefed on their roles and entrusted with the mission to conquer Bihar, subsequently being dispatched to their respective areas. The special 45 include notable figures such as MPs Santosh Pandey and Vijay Baghel from Chhattisgarh, and National Vice President Saroj Pandey. The list also features MPs Ramesh Bidhuri, Kamaljeet Sehrawat, and Union Minister Harsh Malhotra from Delhi. From Gujarat, MPs Devusinh Chauhan, Mitesh Patel, and MLA Amit Thackeray have been given responsibilities. Additional leaders include former MP Sunita Duggal from Haryana, MP Yugal Kishore Sharma from Jammu and Kashmir, and MPs Manish Jaiswal, Kalicharan Singh, and State Working President Ravindra Rai from Jharkhand. MP Anant Nayak from Odisha is also on the list. Representing Madhya Pradesh are Gajendra Singh Patel, B.D. Sharma, Anil Firozia, Minister Prahlad Patel, and Vishwas Sarang, along with former MPs K.P. Singh Yadav and Arvind Singh Bhadoriya. From Uttar Pradesh, MPs Satish Gautam, Rajkumar Chahar, Sangam Lal Gupta, former MP Vinod Sonkar, former Minister Satish Chandra Dwivedi, leader Upendra Tiwari, and MLA Salabh Mani Tripathi are included. The Leader of the Opposition from Rajasthan, Rajendra Rathore, is also part of the visiting team. Moreover, former MPs, MLAs, and senior organizational officials like Ram Sat Pute (Youth Wing Vice President) and others have been assigned roles. According to the party’s strategy, appointments at the Assembly level will follow in the coming weeks. The visiting leaders aim to not only campaign but also to activate local workers and ensure victory for the NDA alliance in every seat. The BJP believes that the ground presence and organizational experience of these special 45 leaders will transform the electoral dynamics in Bihar.

Nitish Kumar is hijacked: RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav takes dig at Bihar CM

News Analysis India — Mon, 05 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Rashtriya Janata Dal leader and former Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar, Tejashwi Yadav on Monday took a jibe at Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, saying that the CM has been hijacked and the RJD is pained by the situation of Nitish Kumar. “We are pained by the situation the Chief Minister (Nitish Kumar) is going through… We repeatedly tell the Chief Minister that he is tired now. The Chief Minister is proving that someone else is running Bihar, the Chief Minister has been hijacked,” Tejashwi Yadav told reporters in Patna. Earlier on April 16, the Election Commission of India (ECI) started preparations for the upcoming Bihar assembly elections, with over 200 booth-level agents participating in a national-level training programme at the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management, Delhi.According to sources, the ECI has stepped up efforts to conduct a smooth, free and fair election set to happen later this year.

Notably, this will be the first Assembly polls Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar will be overseeing following his appointment in February of this year.

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Meanwhile, apart from the 200 BLAs from Bihar, a total of 1 lakh officers will be trained at the IIIDEM in the coming years. The CEC had inaugurated the training on March 26, and underlined the importance of the training.”India’s election is the biggest election in the world. To conduct this election, the Election Commission sets up 10,50,000 booths. In every polling booth, there is a booth-level officer who helps in making the electoral roll and goes to houses to check the names in the electoral roll,” CEC Kumar said.The Bihar Legislative Assembly election for all 243 constituencies is scheduled to be held in October or November this year. The last assembly elections were held in October-November 2020.