Game, Seat, Match

With Chirag Paswan's growing prominence and the JD(U)'s diminishing stature, the BJP seems to be preparing for a change of leadership in Bihar

- Md Asghar Khan

WHEN political posters claiming ‘Bihar kar raha hai tajposhi ka intezaar, Chirag ke swagat ko Bihar taiyaar’ (Bihar awaits its coronation, ready to welcome Chirag) appeared across Patna in May this year, they set off quiet tremors in Bihar’s political circles.

The talk of “coronation” hinted at a generational shift and a possible new face in the state’s politics. The peppering of such posters across the state capital has made the JD(U) visibly uneasy, even as the BJP appears to be silent. Days later, Union Minister for Food Processing and president of National Democratic Alliance (NDA) ally Lok Janshakti Party (R) Chirag Paswan met Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and sought to play down the speculation, claiming: “This time, there is no vacancy for the post of Chief Minister in Bihar.”

That brief remark carried more weight than its tone suggested. Many saw it as Paswan’s way of quietly positioning himself as a future contender for Bihar’s top post. The question that followed was straightforward but significant: is the BJP backing Paswan as a long-term political bet, or is it using him to clear the path for its own Chief Minister in Bihar? The NDA’s seat-sharing announcement on October 12 brought that question back into focus.

Across the aisle, the Mahagathbandhan is yet to settle its own equations. A month ago, it seemed Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav had resolved their differences, but questions about the same continue to linger. With polling just weeks away and election campaign fervour nearing its peak, seat allocation arrangements between the Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) continue to be shaky.

Meanwhile, while the NDA may have formalised its own seat-sharing arrangement, the ambitious BJP's constant jostling with the JD(U) over cornering of seats and the latter's discomfiture with Paswan's rise also suggests that ruling alliance's feathers continue to be ruffled.