Bihar Elections 2020
By DK Sinha
Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, ostensibly facing strong anti-incumbency in his third term, sought to play emotional card on the last day of electioneering for the third and final phase of the state assembly election by stating that it was his last election. “Today is the last day of electioneering. Polling for the last phase will be held day after tomorrow. It is also my last election. All’s well that ends well,” he said while addressing an election meeting in Purnea district. His adversaries were quick to call it his desperate attempt to deflect the focus from Tejashwi Yadav, who was hogging the limelight after his 10 lakh job promise that had apparently caught the imagination of young voters.
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The last phase of the state assembly election is considered very crucial in a battle where most political analysts feel that the Rashtriya Janata Dal led Grand Alliance has thus far not just offered a tough fight to the National Democratic Alliance but even perceptibly enjoyed an edge over the NDA in the first phase. In the second phase though, political observers feel the NDA apparently staged a comeback with Nitish’s core voters -Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs) and women- turning out in good numbers to cast their votes. The updated figures showed that in the second leg of voting, women voter turnout was 58.80 per cent vis-a-vis 52.92 among male electors. But it was also alleged that resentment against Nitish government was also seen among his core voters due to various factors including botched prohibition drive.
It is growingly clear now that the veteran politician must have grasped the realities on the ground, taking out his ‘brahmastra’, couched in his old age, at the fag end of electoral battle before the votes are cast in the last phase on November 7.
Nitish, nearing 70, is pitted against 31-year old RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav and 37-year old Lok Janshakti Party leader Chirag Paswan. Can he, by playing emotional card in the election rally, strike the right chord with his target voters is to be seen now. By playing up his age card, he has also sought to remind the voters of inexperience of both Tejashwi and Chirag, particularly his prime challenger, Tejashwi.
It could also perturb BJP if it was really planning to make a party leader chief minister of the state with the support of Chirag-led LJP in case NDA musters the majority this election and the difference between seats won by BJP and JD (U) was quite huge. BJP might fall in dilemma after Nitish’s emotional appeal.
Reacting sharply, Tejashwi said Nitish has already conceded defeated and also accepted he is too tired to govern the state by making such a statement.
Chirag also taunted Nitish by saying what others will do if leader himself flees from the battlefield.
