RJD's promise-driven campaign fails to deliver in Bihar assembly election
Patna: State’s main opposition party RJD’s bid to emerge as the main alternative to the NDA, suffered the worst setback—far terrible than the 2020 assembly polls when the RJD-led Grand Alliance had missed forming the govt by just 12 seats.
The RJD managed to win only 25 seats—a loss of 50 seats, this time leaving it in a very tough spot.
During campaigning, Tejashwi, the INDIA bloc’s CM face, went to the masses with a plethora of promises, targeting all sections—from the youth, women, dalits, general class and farmers. He promised govt jobs to every family, without discriminating between caste and creed, and repeated his commitment to fulfilling this barely 20 months after taking the oath as CM.
His job promise saw huge crowds of youths attending his rallies and responding enthusiastically to his appeal for votes for the opposition alliance. A slew of some more promises were crediting Rs30,000 to the bank accounts of every poor woman every year, regularising jobs of contractual workers and providing 200 units of free electricity every month. However, if the number of seats won by the RJD is any indication, the masses didn’t trust Tejashwi’s promise and instead went with the rival alliance.
In the past eight years since Lalu served various jail terms by the court in fodder scam cases, Tejashwi tried his best to give a new identity to the party, inducting youth, sidelining deadwoods, and focusing on issues concerning the common man, especially youths.
While he removed Lalu’s photograph from the RJD poster in a bid to do away with the “Jungle Raj” narrative, Tejashwi launched a “positive” campaign during elections. At none of his rallies this time or in previous elections did he hurl abuses at the NDA leaders; instead, his total focus remained on checking unemployment and migration. Yet, his appeal was not properly communicated to the general masses.
So far, the RJD leader dictated terms to his allies, but in the current situation, he will find it hard to restrain his allies, especially the Congress. The defeat also means people will start doubting his “credentials”, and he will have a tough time convincing them.
But what remains the biggest challenge for him is to keep the party intact in the coming days, as there are chances of leaders deserting the party to join rival camps.
Of late, he regularly said the JD(U) would be finished after the assembly polls, but he faces the challenge of saving his own party as people normally go with “greener pastures”.
This is the second biggest poll disaster for the RJD after the 2010 assembly elections when it managed to win only 22 seats after contesting 168 seats, as the party lost even the “leader of opposition” status. Now, the battle is even tougher for Tejashwi, with a Delhi court framing corruption, criminal conspiracy, and cheating charges against him in the IRCTC scam case, along with his parents—Lalu Prasad and wife Rabri Devi.
The RJD managed to win only 25 seats—a loss of 50 seats, this time leaving it in a very tough spot.
During campaigning, Tejashwi, the INDIA bloc’s CM face, went to the masses with a plethora of promises, targeting all sections—from the youth, women, dalits, general class and farmers. He promised govt jobs to every family, without discriminating between caste and creed, and repeated his commitment to fulfilling this barely 20 months after taking the oath as CM.
His job promise saw huge crowds of youths attending his rallies and responding enthusiastically to his appeal for votes for the opposition alliance. A slew of some more promises were crediting Rs30,000 to the bank accounts of every poor woman every year, regularising jobs of contractual workers and providing 200 units of free electricity every month. However, if the number of seats won by the RJD is any indication, the masses didn’t trust Tejashwi’s promise and instead went with the rival alliance.
In the past eight years since Lalu served various jail terms by the court in fodder scam cases, Tejashwi tried his best to give a new identity to the party, inducting youth, sidelining deadwoods, and focusing on issues concerning the common man, especially youths.
While he removed Lalu’s photograph from the RJD poster in a bid to do away with the “Jungle Raj” narrative, Tejashwi launched a “positive” campaign during elections. At none of his rallies this time or in previous elections did he hurl abuses at the NDA leaders; instead, his total focus remained on checking unemployment and migration. Yet, his appeal was not properly communicated to the general masses.
So far, the RJD leader dictated terms to his allies, but in the current situation, he will find it hard to restrain his allies, especially the Congress. The defeat also means people will start doubting his “credentials”, and he will have a tough time convincing them.
But what remains the biggest challenge for him is to keep the party intact in the coming days, as there are chances of leaders deserting the party to join rival camps.
Of late, he regularly said the JD(U) would be finished after the assembly polls, but he faces the challenge of saving his own party as people normally go with “greener pastures”.
This is the second biggest poll disaster for the RJD after the 2010 assembly elections when it managed to win only 22 seats after contesting 168 seats, as the party lost even the “leader of opposition” status. Now, the battle is even tougher for Tejashwi, with a Delhi court framing corruption, criminal conspiracy, and cheating charges against him in the IRCTC scam case, along with his parents—Lalu Prasad and wife Rabri Devi.
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