Perform, Not Purchase

The high turnout in Bihar reflects that women want to ensure that their "exceptional" progress continues under the NDA

- By Surjit S. Bhalla

NITISH Kumar has had a 20 year run as Chief Minister of Bihar. He was an early (first?) champion of women's empowerment in India, as was Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and hence their strong bond, despite important differences in party affiliation, and outlook.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Janata Dal-United (JD-U) form a formidable team in Bihar, especially since the concentration, and campaign, is around delivery of living standards. As we will show below, the performance record of Nitish Kumar is more than enough for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) to romp home with a two-thirds majority. Some experts believe that the Rs 10,000 dole per eligible poor woman—in the guise of a to-be-returned investment loan—is a game changer for Nitish and the NDA. Data suggests that this dole—even the BJP campaigners believe, and advocate, that this is a grant, and not a loan—was completely unnecessary for a comprehensive NDA victory. Please look at the data presented below before jumping to conclusions of dole game changers.