Nitish%20Kumar%20is%20fighting%20the%20toughest%20electoral%20battle%20of%20his%20life

#Bihar #BiharElection2020 #Biharelections

The normally soft spoken Nitish Kumar in this campaign trail has become uncharacteristically angry
Kumar was far more restrained, sober and low key earlier
He was a man for detail and under him the state has made huge strides on all fronts

Written By:Javed

Updated: October 26 2020 12:20:06 AM ET Patna, Bihar, India

The%20jury%20is%20still%20out%20on%20whether%20or%20not%20Nitish%20Kumar%20will%20lose%20this%20election%2C%20but%20there%20appears%20to%20be%20unanimity%20that%20Bihar%u2019s%20%u2018Sushasan%20Babu%u2019%20has%20begun%20to%20lose%20the%20plot.%20The%20normally%20soft%20spoken%2C%20amiable%20Nitish%20Kumar%20has%20in%20this%20campaign%20trail%20become%20uncharacteristically%20acerbic%2C%20angry%20and%20even%20begun%20to%20hit%20below%20the%20belt.%20A%20trait%20that%20was%20once%20associated%20with%20his%20b%EAte%20noire%20Lalu%20Prasad%20Yadav.%26nbsp%3B

Lalu%20and%20Nitish%20Kumar%20were%20in%20many%20ways%20the%20inseparable%20twins%20of%20Bihar%u2019s%20politics.%20Together%20and%20apart%2C%20the%20two%20have%20dominated%20the%20political%20landscape%20of%20the%20state%20for%20close%20to%20three%20decades.%20They%20brought%20a%20seismic%20shift%20in%20the%20power%20equations%20in%20the%20state%20and%20put%20an%20end%20to%20the%20stranglehold%20that%20upper%20castes%20had%20enjoyed%20over%20the%20politics%20of%20the%20state.%20Both%20were%20products%20of%20the%20Lohia%20school%20of%20politics%20and%20cut%20their%20political%20teeth%20in%20the%20JP%20movement.%20Together%20they%20have%20scripted%20some%20memorable%20victories%2C%20fought%20bitter%20battles%20and%20engineered%20each%20other%u2019s%20defeat%20as%20well.%26nbsp%3B

Lalu%20Yadav%20was%20always%26nbsp%3Bboisterous%2C%20flamboyant%20and%20in%20your%20face.%20Nitish%20Kumar%26nbsp%3Bon%20the%20other%20hand%20was%20far%20more%20restrained%2C%20sober%20and%20low%20key.%20For%20Lalu%20Yadav%2C%20the%20world%20was%20a%20stage%20for%20him%20to%20perform.%20In%20his%20prime%2C%20he%20was%20a%20political%20communicator%20par%20excellence%20and%20could%20work%20the%20crowds%20like%20no%20other.%20Nitish%20Kumar%20was%20undeniably%20the%20brighter%20of%20the%20two%20when%20it%20came%20to%20studies%20and%20went%20on%20to%20acquire%20a%20first%20divination%20in%20civil%20engineering%2C%20Lalu%20on%20the%20other%20hand%20had%20only%20a%20fleeting%20acquaintance%20with%20academics.%26nbsp%3B%26nbsp%3B

Lalu%20Prasad%26nbsp%3BYadav%20was%20arguably%20one%20of%20the%20most%20charismatic%20and%20controversial%20leaders%20to%20emerge%20out%20of%20Bihar.%20He%20came%20to%20power%20promising%20hope%20and%20change.%20Early%20in%20his%20tenure%20he%20delivered%20social%20justice%20and%20a%20huge%20sense%20of%20security%20and%20belonging%20to%20the%20minorities%20but%20wantonly%20allowed%20it%20all%20to%20slip%20away.%20His%20years%20in%20power%20are%20now%20best%20remembered%20for%20corruption%2C%20cronyism%20and%20lawlessness.%20Nitish%20Kumar%20shined%20in%20contrast.%20He%20was%20a%20man%20for%20detail%2C%20good%20governance%20is%20his%20power%20mantra%20and%20under%20him%20the%20state%20has%20made%20huge%20strides%20on%20all%20fronts.%20Nitish%20is%20a%20man%20for%20form%2C%20procedure%2C%20and%20almost%20maniacal%20belief%20in%20probity%20in%20public%20life.

During%20the%20last%20assembly%20elections%20in%202015%2C%26nbsp%3BI%20had%20the%20opportunity%20of%20travelling%20extensively%20with%20the%20Bihar%20Chief%20Minister.%20This%20was%20an%20election%20that%20the%20JD%28U%29%2C%20Congress%20and%20the%20RJD%20were%20fighting%20as%20a%20part%20of%20the%20same%20alliance.%20While%20Lalu%20went%20hammer%20and%20tongs%20at%20the%20BJP%2C%20even%20caricaturing%20Amit%20Shah%27s%20girth%2C%20Nitish%20focussed%20his%20campaign%20on%20the%20achievements%20of%20his%20government%20and%20on%20the%20promises%20of%20the%20future.%20I%20remember%20him%20telling%20me%2C%20%u201CHumse%20yeh%20personal%20attack%20nahi%20hota%20hai%20%28%20I%20can%27t%20make%20personal%20attacks%29%u201D.

More%20is%20the%20reason%20why%20many%20of%20us%20who%20have%20known%20and%20covered%20his%20election%20campaigns%20in%20the%20past%20are%20taken%20aback%20by%20the%20tone%20and%20tenor%20of%20his%20campaign.%20The%20contrast%20in%20the%20two%20campaigns%20is%20there%20for%20all%20to%20see.%20In%202015%20he%20was%20setting%20the%20tone%2C%20talking%20of%20his%20achievements%20and%20all%20the%20good%20that%20he%20had%20done%20for%20the%20state.%20He%20spoke%20of%20his%20vision%20for%20the%20future%20even%20as%20he%26nbsp%3B%20asked%20for%20yet%20another%20mandate.%20This%20time%20around%20Nitish%20Kumar%20appears%20rattled.%20Perhaps%20the%20pressure%20has%20got%20to%20him%2C%20he%20appears%20to%20have%20grossly%20underestimated%20the%20anger%20against%20his%20handling%20of%20the%20migrant%20crisis%20and%20the%20huge%2046%20per%20cent%20unemployment%20in%20the%20state.%20In%20seeking%20the%20mandate%20for%20a%20fourth%20consecutive%20term%20he%20has%20perhaps%20taken%20the%20eye%20of%20the%20ball.

In%20the%20weeks%20leading%20up%20to%20the%20commencement%20of%20the%20campaign%20he%20dismissed%20Tejaswi%20Yadav%20as%20an%20upstart.%20His%20approach%20reeked%20of%20over%20confidence.%20In%20the%20early%20days%20of%20this%20election%20his%20election%20managers%20openly%20boasted%20of%20this%20being%20%u201Ca%20no%20contest%u201D.%20They%20were%20perhaps%20lulled%20into%20a%20false%20sense%20of%20complacency%20by%20the%20sheer%20arithmetic%20of%20the%20NDA%20alliance%20and%20the%20social%20combination%20it%20represented.%20Now%20suddenly%20he%20realises%20he%20has%20a%20challenge%20on%20his%20hands.%20Nitish%u2019s%20ploy%20of%20attacking%20the%2015-year%20Lalu%20Yadav%u2019s%20rule%20doesn%u2019t%20seem%20to%20cut%20with%20the%20people%20anymore.%20Lalu%20is%20in%20jail%20and%20is%20no%20longer%20the%20face%20of%20the%20RJD.%20Fifteen%20years%20of%20anti-incumbency%2C%20job%20loss%20and%20the%20migrant%20crisis%20appear%20to%20be%20snowballing%20against%20Nitish%20Kumar%20and%20his%20government.%20He%20is%20for%20now%20struggling%20to%20get%20his%20campaign%20back%20on%20track.%26nbsp%3B

What%20appeared%20to%20be%20a%20no%20contest%20has%20suddenly%20been%20transformed%20into%20a%20real%20contest.%26nbsp%3B%20Nitish%20Kumar%20may%20or%20may%20not%20admit%20it%2C%20but%20this%20is%20his%20toughest%20electoral%20battle%20to%20date.

%26nbsp%3B

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