Bihar's election campaign is being shaped by its youth

Post-liberalisation, while other states took advantage of economic reforms to forge ahead, Bihar remained bogged down in caste politics

- BHAVDEEP KANG

Bihar's massive youth bulge is shaping the election campaign in India's most underdeveloped state. The chief ministerial aspirants, from doughty incumbent Nitish Kumar to legacy politician Tejashwi Yadav and dynamic newbie Prashant Kishor, all are targeting under-30 voters, each in his own way.

Rashtriya Janata Dal boss Tejashwi Yadav is just 35 and is playing the youth card for all he's worth. On Tuesday, he grabbed eyeballs by grooving with youngsters on Patna's Marine Drive. What escaped attention was the scene of Yadav's dance moves: a 4-lane marquee expressway dreamed up and executed by his arch-rival, Nitish Kumar. Running along the banks of the Ganga, the 20-km stretch is a reminder that whatever little development Bihar has seen began with Kumar's innings as CM in 2005.

Tejashwi belted out a lyric in praise of his father and former CM, Lalu Yadav: "Lalu bina chaalu ee Bihar na hoi" (Bihar needs Lalu). Reminding voters of his troubled legacy may not have been a wise move. His family's 15-year stewardship of Bihar from 1990 to 2005 saw the state slide to the bottom in economic and human development indicators. In the crucial post-liberalisation decade, other states took advantage of economic reforms to forge ahead, while Bihar remained bogged down in caste politics, violence and corruption. For example, Tamil Nadu's per capita GDP shot up sixfold to Rs 30,062 by 2004-5, well above the all-India average of Rs 24,142, while Bihar remained at a modest Rs 7,914.