Tejashwi’s solo act pushes Grand Alliance campaign in Bihar

His voice, image, and slogans dominate, energizing his base, but also expose a deeper problem: the absence of any other recognizable or credible leaders.

- ABHINANDAN MISHRA

Tejashwi Yadav

In Bihar's assembly election, the Grand Alliance campaign has come to revolve around one man-Tejashwi Yadav.

The 35-year-old leader of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the alliance's chief ministerial face has become the sole engine driving the fight. Each day, he covers between 15 and 20 public meetings across constituencies, traveling by helicopter from one district to another, speaking to media outlets midair or during convoy breaks. His voice, image, and slogans dominate the campaign, energizing his base but also exposing a deeper problem: the absence of any other recognizable or credible leaders within the opposition coalition. Tejashwi's campaign strategy is straightforward but effective. He has made jobs the moral centre of the election. At a time when youth unemployment is among the highest in Bihar and over a million young men and women leave the state each year to find work elsewhere, his promise of employment has struck a strong chord. His 17-month stint as deputy chief minister under Nitish Kumar-during which he says he helped facilitate nearly five lakh government jobs-is his key proof point.