Bihar Assembly Polls - Why Nitish Needs Modi

With the force of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s charisma behind him, Nitish Kumar may yet buck anti-incumbency to win another term as chief minister, finds a Lokniti-CSDS opinion poll

- Amitabh Srivastava

As the campaign for India’s first major election held under the shadow of Covid got underway in Bihar, party candidates initially adopted unconventional methods to reach out to voters. These included e-rallies and marshalling social network sites to unleash a blizzard of political messages. However, as the contesting parties soon realised, nothing is more effective than traditional methods of wooing the electorate, including addressing public meetings in person and ensuring massive turnouts, even if it means ignoring social distancing protocols or wearing masks. Despite warning the nation of the dangers of a second wave of infections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself is slated to address a blitzkrieg of 12 poll rallies, beginning October 23, to ensure that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) continues to rule the state.