There%20is%20something%20electric%20in%20the%20air%20of%20Bihar%20these%20days.%20If%20reports%20coming%20in%20from%20the%20state%20and%20now%20backed%20by%20the%20exit%20polls%20are%20a%20thing%20to%20go%20by%2C%20a%20seismic%20electoral%20shift%2C%20unthinkable%20barely%20months%20ago%20is%20about%20to%20happen%20and%2031-year-old%20Tejashwi%20Yadav%20might%20just%20be%20about%20to%20script%20the%20biggest%20electoral%20upset%20in%20recent%20years.%20Nitish%20Kumar%2C%20the%20three-time%20chief%20minister%20of%20the%20state%2C%20and%20his%20ally%20the%20all-powerful%20BJP%20are%20about%20to%20be%20humbled%20in%20their%20own%20backyard.

This%20election%20has%20without%20a%20doubt%20been%20about%20Tejashwi%20Yadav%20and%20Nitish%20Kumar.%20The%20Bihar%20chief%20minister%20has%20been%20held%20to%20account%20by%20his%20people%20and%20appears%20to%20be%20on%20the%20wrong%20side%20of%20popular%20opinion%20in%20Bihar.%26nbsp%3B

Having%20more%20than%20once%20worsted%20the%20irrepressible%20Lalu%20Yadav%2C%20Nitish%20Kumar%20will%2C%20in%20all%20probability%2C%20have%20to%20experience%20the%20mortification%20of%20being%20drubbed%20by%20Lalu%u2019s%20son%20Tejashwi%20Yadav%2C%20somebody%20who%20grew%20up%20playing%20on%20his%20lap.%20Sometimes%20there%20is%20more%20than%20a%20bit%20of%20irony%20involved%20in%20the%20way%20politics%20evens%20up%20the%20score.

%3Cstrong%3EAlso%20Read%20%7C%3C/strong%3E%20%3Ca%20target%3D%22_blank%22%20rel%3D%22noopener%20noreferrer%22%20href%3D%22https%3A//opoyi.com/whether-nda-wins-or-loses-bihar-is-it-over-for-nitish%22%3E%3Cstrong%3EWhether%20NDA%20wins%20or%20loses%20Bihar%2C%20is%20it%20over%20for%20Nitish%20Kumar%3F%3C/strong%3E%3C/a%3E

Nitish%20Kumar%20was%2C%20till%20not%20very%20long%20ago%2C%20seen%20as%20the%20best%20and%20brightest%20from%20amongst%20the%20crop%20of%20leaders%20that%20came%20out%20of%20the%20JP%20movement.%20He%20was%20calm%2C%20dignified%2C%20methodical%2C%20had%20no%20dynastic%20linkages.%20There%20were%20no%20criminal%20or%20corruption%20charges%20against%20him.%20His%20track%20record%20as%20chief%20minister%20at%20least%20in%20the%20first%20two%20terms%20rightfully%20earned%20him%20the%20title%20of%20%u2018Sushan%20babu%u2019.%20He%20was%20at%20one%20time%20as%20looked%20upon%20as%20the%20Opposition%u2019s%20answer%20to%20Narendra%20Modi.%26nbsp%3B

This%20election%20could%20cost%20the%20Bihar%20chief%20minister%20more%20than%20just%20the%20chair.%20Today%20he%20stands%20diminished%2C%20about%20to%20lose%20the%20elections%20and%20possibly%20his%20legacy%20as%20well.%20A%20lot%20is%20likely%20to%20change%20for%20him%20after%20this%20election.%20He%20will%20no%20longer%20be%20able%20to%20dictate%20terms%20to%20the%20BJP.

Going%20forward%20if%20the%20BJP%20decides%20to%20continue%20with%20the%20alliance%2C%20it%20will%20have%20to%20be%20on%20the%20BJP%27s%20terms%20and%20no%20longer%20Nitish%20Kumar%u2019s.%20By%20all%20indications%20the%20BJP%20is%20likely%20to%20do%20better%20than%20the%20JD%28U%29%2C%20provided%20this%20alliance%20continues%2C%20henceforth%20the%20JD%28U%29%20will%20have%20to%20be%20the%20junior%20partner%20and%20Nitish%20Kumar%20can%20no%20longer%20hope%20to%20be%20its%20face%20in%20Bihar.

Bihar%2C%20in%20many%20ways%2C%20also%20exposes%20the%20limitations%20of%20Narendra%20Modi%20and%20Amit%20Shah%u2019s%20ability%20to%20win%20elections%20in%20states%20where%20they%20do%20not%20have%20a%20strong%20local%20face.%20On%20paper%2C%20they%20put%20together%20a%20formidable%20alliance%20not%20just%20of%20parties%20but%20of%20the%20social%20groupings%20that%20these%20parties%20represented.%26nbsp%3B

%3Cstrong%3EAlso%20Read%20%7C%3C/strong%3E%20%3Ca%20target%3D%22_blank%22%20rel%3D%22noopener%20noreferrer%22%20href%3D%22https%3A//opoyi.com/nda-sceptical-about-exit-polls-prediction-for-bihar-while-grand-alliance-seems-jubilant%22%3E%3Cstrong%3ENDA%20sceptical%20about%20exit%20polls%20prediction%20for%20Bihar%20while%20Grand%20Alliance%20seems%20jubilant%3C/strong%3E%3C/a%3E

Evidence%20from%20the%20ground%20suggests%20that%20the%20Prime%20Minister%20remains%20popular%20but%20his%20popularity%20is%20not%20enough%20to%20win%20his%20party%20or%20his%20allies%20elections%20in%20states.%20Delhi%2C%20Jharkhand%20and%20now%20Bihar%20have%20underlined%20that%20reality.%20The%20BJP%20was%20hoping%20that%20a%20win%20in%20Bihar%20would%20provide%20them%20a%20shot%20in%20the%20arm%20ahead%20of%20the%20all-important%20Bengal%20assembly%20elections%20next%20year.%20That%20has%20not%20happened.%20It%20will%20also%20force%20the%20BJP%u2019s%20political%20managers%20to%20go%20back%20to%20drawing%20board%20and%20reboot%20their%20plans%20for%20Bengal.%26nbsp%3B

The%20BJP%20will%20in%20all%20likelihood%20continue%20with%20the%20JD%28U%29%20in%20the%20NDA.%20After%20the%20exit%20of%20the%20Akali%u2019s%20and%20the%20Shiv%20Sena%2C%20the%20NDA%20has%20only%20Ramsdas%20Athavle%u2019s%20party%20as%20an%20ally.%20It%20will%20also%20need%20the%20help%20of%20the%20JD%28U%29%20MPs%20in%20the%20Rajya%20Sabha%20to%20pass%20key%20legislations.%26nbsp%3B

However%2C%20the%20ties%20are%20likely%20to%20be%20tested%20severely%20in%20the%20days%20ahead%2C%20especially%20once%20the%20BJP%20decides%20to%20go%20forward%20with%20some%20of%20its%20key%20ideological%20legislation%20on%20issues%20like%20uniform%20civil%20code%20or%20CAA.%20Towards%20the%20end%20of%20the%20campaign%2C%20Nitish%20made%20his%20opposition%20to%20Yogi%20Adityanath%u2019s%20statement%20of%20throwing%20out%20people%20once%20CAA%20was%20implemented.%26nbsp%3B

%3Cstrong%3EAlso%20Read%20%7C%3C/strong%3E%20%3Ca%20target%3D%22_blank%22%20rel%3D%22noopener%20noreferrer%22%20href%3D%22https%3A//opoyi.com/nitish-does-not-have-retirement-on-his-mind-asserts-his-party-1%22%3E%3Cstrong%3EJD%28U%29%20asserts%20Nitish%20Kumar%20does%20not%20have%20retirement%20on%20his%20mind%3C/strong%3E%3C/a%3E

This%20election%20marks%20the%20emergence%20of%20Tejashwi%20Yadav%20from%20his%20father%u2019s%20shadow.%20He%20has%20scripted%20this%20remarkable%20turnaround%20all%20on%20his%20own.%20There%20has%20been%20something%20magnificent%20about%20his%20performance.%20The%20sheer%20dynamism%20and%20energy%20that%20he%20has%20brought%20to%20his%20campaign%20has%20been%20infectious.%26nbsp%3B

It%20takes%20a%20lot%20to%20move%20out%20of%20the%20RJD%u2019s%20time-tested%20formula%20of%20catering%20to%20the%20MY%2C%20i.e.%20Muslim%20Yadav%20core%20constituency.%20He%20has%20subtly%20replaced%20social%20justice%20with%20economic%20justice.%20It%20takes%20some%20doing%20in%20caste-ridden%20Bihar%20to%20persuade%20a%20section%20of%20the%20upper%20castes%2C%20who%20have%20been%20at%20the%20receiving%20end%20of%20his%20father%u2019s%20term%20in%20office%2C%20to%20give%20up%20their%20reservations%20and%20vote%20for%20the%20RJD.%26nbsp%3B

Anecdotal%20evidence%20now%20backed%20by%20exit%20poll%20data%20suggests%20that%20Tejashwi%20has%20succeeded%20in%20achieving%20what%20his%20father%20never%20could.%20Tejashwi%20has%20through%20his%20spirited%20campaign%20not%20just%20turned%20this%20election%20on%20its%20head%20but%20may%20well%20have%20established%20himself%20as%20a%20gen-next%20leader%20worthy%20of%20note.

%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23NitishKumar%22%20data-user-id%3D%226qzS1kYkZwEl%22%20href%3D%22/topic/nitish-kumar%22%3E%23NitishKumar%3C/a%3E%20%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23TejashwiYadav%22%20data-user-id%3D%2242LF5CuYoO3t%22%20href%3D%22/topic/tejashwi-yadav%22%3E%23TejashwiYadav%3C/a%3E%20%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23RJD%22%20data-user-id%3D%22o8dyCkCeGRfw%22%20href%3D%22/topic/rjd%22%3E%23RJD%3C/a%3E%20%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23BiharElection2020%22%20data-user-id%3D%22BV2zd2QfB7Kx%22%20href%3D%22/topic/bihar-election-2020%22%3E%23BiharElection2020%3C/a%3E%20%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23BJP%22%20data-user-id%3D%22cqfihWqpWO59%22%20href%3D%22/topic/bjp%22%3E%23BJP%3C/a%3E%20%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23NDA%22%20data-user-id%3D%22tG036zzhJOSj%22%20href%3D%22/topic/nda%22%3E%23NDA%3C/a%3E%20%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23Politics%22%20data-user-id%3D%22ODQ1kqHlUPEu%22%20href%3D%22/topic/politics%22%3E%23Politics%3C/a%3E%20%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23Bihar%22%20data-user-id%3D%22TX0XR8BClWRB%22%20href%3D%22/topic/bihar%22%3E%23Bihar%3C/a%3E%26nbsp%3B