The three musketeers

A generational shift is reshaping Bihar's electoral landscape, as three young leaders battle it out

- PRATUL SHARMA

IN 2005, BIHAR had two assembly elections. The first gave a fractured verdict. And the second a seismic shift, ending the reign of Lalu Prasad's Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). That era was defined by three socialist titans—Lalu, Nitish Kumar and Ram Vilas Paswan—once allies, later rivals.

Two decades on, Nitish remains a towering figure, steering the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) as its chief ministerial candidate. Yet, the 2025 elections signal a profound change, not just in leadership but in the very fabric of Bihar's politics, as a new generation steps into the fray.

In politics, a generation is measured not just in years but in the churn of leadership. Demographers might peg it at 25 years, genealogists at the span between fathers and sons. By either yardstick, Bihar stands on the cusp of a transition. The state's political shift began in 1990 with the Mandal Commission's fallout, propelling Lalu to power. The 2025 contest is defined by three younger leaders—Tejashwi Yadav, Chirag Paswan and Prashant Kishor. They hold the key not only to forming the next government, but to reshaping the state's politics.

This November, Bihar’s two-phase polls will see 14 lakh first-time voters, with those under 30 comprising more than 20 per cent of the 7.43 crore electorate. These Gen Z voters have no memory of Lalu’s 'jungle raj' or the early promise of Nitish’s 'sushasan'. While caste legacies have long dictated Bihar’s electoral battles, a rising, aspirational youth could redefine the state's political narrative.