The Bihar Assembly elections are scheduled for next year, and political parties are gearing up to set the stage for the next face of power after Nitish Kumar. In the last election, right before the campaigning ended, Nitish Kumar played an emotional card, declaring it his final election. Whether Nitish will distance himself from the 2025 elections remains unclear, but the fight for his replacement has already begun in the opposition camp. The battle of perception is on between Tejashwi Yadav of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), leading the Grand Alliance, and Prashant Kishor, who has announced his political debut with Jan Suraj.
The RJD has been projecting Tejashwi Yadav as the CM face since the last election. Now, Prashant Kishor has openly entered the fray. PK, who used to talk about what the government should or shouldn't do, has for the first time stated what he would do if their government came to power. He said they would abolish liquor prohibition in the first hour of taking office. While PK hasn't explicitly stated who will be the Chief Minister, being the most prominent face of Jan Suraj, he is considered the party's CM face. The perception war between Tejashwi Yadav and PK can be understood in five points.
1-
Alternative to Nitish
Both Tejashwi Yadav and Prashant Kishor are presenting themselves as alternatives to the current CM Nitish Kumar. Tejashwi is offering the achievements of the Grand Alliance government under Nitish's leadership to the public, while PK is presenting his vision. Both leaders entered active politics around the same time, and both have hit the ground running. PK has been on a march for the past two years to prepare Jan Suraj's political ground, while Tejashwi is now working on turning the tide in his favor through communication tours and political programs in all 243 Assembly constituencies.
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People's Leader
Nitish Kumar is known for understanding the ground realities and what the people want. Be it electricity supply, sending mafia to jails, or enforcing prohibition, these have played significant roles in keeping Nitish’s party at the center of Bihar's power for 20 years. Now, there is a fight between Tejashwi and PK to prove themselves as the people's leaders. PK talks about the pain and problems of common people during his march, while Tejashwi also leaves no opportunity to show that he is one of the people through his lifestyle, food habits, and communication.
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Youth Icon
During Nitish's Grand Alliance government, RJD is presenting the teacher recruitment drives as a significant achievement of Tejashwi's. RJD's strategy is to set Tejashwi’s image as a 'job provider.' Meanwhile, Prashant Kishor is also strongly contesting this youth icon battle. PK is talking about the pain of migration and promising job opportunities within Bihar itself, stating that no one will need to leave Bihar for jobs under 10,000 rupees.
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Expanding the Vote Bank
Along with the caste equation, there are class equations in Bihar. Upon coming to power, Nitish Kumar's initiatives like giving free bicycles to schoolgirls, prohibition, strict action against criminals, and improving electricity supply, strengthened his female vote bank. This allowed Nitish to make strong comebacks, as seen in the recent Lok Sabha elections. Tejashwi’s strategy involves going beyond the M-Y (Muslim-Yadav) combination to include youth and the poor, creating a new vote bank equation. Similarly, PK is eyeing this battle. Jan Suraj is said to attract educated voters, and with PK’s declaration on prohibition, it aims to gain support from the educated class, along with the poor, laborers, Dalits, and backward classes.
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Legacy vs. Common Man
Prashant Kishor has been attacking the RJD and Lalu family over dynasty politics. Recently he compared Tejashwi to Abhishek Bachchan, noting that while Shah Rukh Khan worked his way up, Abhishek always had opportunities due to his lineage. PK aims to set his image as a leader who has risen from the ground through struggle. On the other hand, RJD portrays PK as the BJP's 'B team.' Tejashwi has inherited his political career from his father Lalu, which is a political plus for him. Senior journalist Omprakash Ashk mentioned that Lalu handed over not just politics but also problems to Tejashwi, whose name has appeared in various scandals in just a decade-long political career. While Tejashwi seems to have an upper hand in the perception battle against PK, it also brings challenges for him. PK, now considered among the top four political faces in Bihar along with Nitish, Tejashwi, and Chirag, is gaining public support, but Tejashwi currently appears to be stronger in the perception war.
During Nitish's Grand Alliance government, RJD is presenting the teacher recruitment drives as a significant achievement of Tejashwi's. RJD's strategy is to set Tejashwi’s image as a 'job provider.' Meanwhile, Prashant Kishor is also strongly contesting this youth icon battle. PK is talking about the pain of migration and promising job opportunities within Bihar itself, stating that no one will need to leave Bihar for jobs under 10,000 rupees.
Read More: If we come to power, we will abolish Bihar's liquor ban in an hour,' says Prashant Kishor
The political scene in Bihar is currently dominated by two opposition leaders—PK and Tejashwi. Although the NDA is in power, the discussion revolves around these two. The election battle in Bihar is being shaped as Tejashwi vs. PK, partly to exploit Nitish’s lack of alternatives in the JD(U) and prevent the BJP from gaining a foothold.
