Political magic by Modi: “Good governance is enough”; Bihar people with warning….

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has written a political magic; He snatched victory from the grip of defeat in Bihar and exhibited a ‘Great Escape Act’. There is no doubt that his intense campaigning and messages during the second and third phases of the polls brought the NDA to a majority.

However, the challenge posed by the RJD-Congress-Left grand alliance should not be underestimated. Bihar was swept by the BJP and JDU in the Lok Sabha elections only 18 months ago. This is a bad performance compared to that. It was caused by serious disputes and conflicts within the alliance itself. When Nitish Kumar became the Chief Minister, it was Modi who stirred the voters.

In a sense, this victory erases some of the pain of the BJP, which was isolated and shattered by the Nitish-Lalu-Congress alliance in the 2015 Assembly elections. Despite opposing his PM candidature, Modi shook hands with Nitish when he split with Lalu. This time, Modi has nominated Nitish Kumar as the Chief Ministerial candidate, overcoming the sentiment within the BJP that Nitish should be ousted.

It was a choice that proved to have a lot of sharp elements that hurt the parties. If Chirag Paswan leaked the JDU vote bank, Vikas Sheel’s resignation from the Insaf party and the Hindustan Awami Morcha was a setback for the grand alliance. Azaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM split the Muslim vote was a major blow to the grand coalition.

However, it must be acknowledged that Tejaswi Yadav has brought new energy into the campaign by promising 10 lakh government jobs and reviving the party that collapsed in the Lok Sabha elections. But Tejaswi has a lot to learn from Modi, who has promised benefits to farmers, traders and women and kept other sections together. Tejaswi was also hurt by the nomination of some candidates with serious criminal backgrounds.

By giving an absolute majority to the NDA, the people of Bihar have not only created a strong opposition but have also issued a stern warning to the BJP and the JDU – good governance is enough! Voters in Bihar have made it clear that development is a priority. The youth have made it clear that the new decade is for Bihar.