Bihar Polls: Voter Mood Signals Tough Road Ahead for BJP
Bihar Election Hoardings in Bhagalpur! (Image TRH)
The property boom and consumer glitter may suggest comfort for Nitish Kumar and the BJP, but Bhagalpur quietly tells another story.
By MANISH ANAND
BHAGALPUR (BIHAR), September4, 2025 — A tea adda is tucked away in a narrow lane of the ever-congested silk city of Bihar. With a bench laid out and a couple of plastic stools around, the small tea stall serves as a hub for discussions on the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections. The adda overlooks a bustling consumer market where showrooms—from Puma to Tanishq—occupy every available space in Bhagalpur.
“Nitish Kumar is now Lalu Prasad Yadav,” said Mukesh Kumar, the young owner of the tea stall. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is preparing to seek a fifth consecutive mandate as the CM face of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
“Nitish won elections for the works done in his first tenure (2005–10). Afterwards, he became just another Lalu,” the stall owner added, pointing to rising crime cases in the city as proof of his claim.
On Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he was equally unsparing. “In 2014, we bought mustard oil for ₹100. Now it costs at least ₹160. Mehngai ke alawa kuch aur nahi diya (he gave us nothing but price rise),” he asserted.
Rajesh Yadav, who dropped out of a BA course in a local college, echoed similar frustrations. “What is the gain of education when you see an army of unemployed all around you? I bought this TOTO (local name for an e-rickshaw),” Yadav said.
The roads and lanes of Bhagalpur are choked with e-rickshaws, each blaring powerful horns. Car drivers honk even louder to force their way past the fleets of battery-operated vehicles. A liberal loan policy pursued by state governments to promote electric mobility has, in effect, handed over the streets to e-rickshaws—from Noida to Bhagalpur.
“Both Nitish and Tejashwi (Yadav) cannot do anything for Bihar. We have to give someone else an opportunity,” Yadav said. Asked who that might be, he replied: “Prashant Kishor is making sense of Bihar. He can do something new.”
Bhagalpur, one of Bihar’s largest cities, is now dotted with hoardings of ticket hopefuls from all major parties. Its market space has expanded nearly tenfold in the last two decades, reflecting growing demand for branded products. Jewellery showrooms stand as symbols of this new prosperity.
The city’s outskirts, too, now boast high-rises, with property prices nearly on par with Ghaziabad and Noida.
The booming real estate and surging consumer culture might suggest all is well for Nitish Kumar and the BJP. But beneath the glitter of malls and showrooms, Bhagalpur silently tells a different story—one of ordinary people left out of the property boom and disconnected from the prosperity on display.
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