Nitish Kumar Trial by fire
Nitish Kumar is seeking his third term as chief minister of Bihar, facing the toughest political challenge of his career. This will be the first test of his popularity as well as people’s verdict on his adventurism of partying ways from the NDA and joining hands with political adversary Lalu Prasad. After a drubbing in the Lok Sabha polls, Nitish has to prove himself again. If he wins, he could be considered the tallest leader to challenge Narendra Modi. Else, he will face the worst and be left with 2 MPs.
Lalu Prasad Mandal Messiah
This Assembly election will prove whether Lalu is still relevant in Bihar politics or a peripheral force. Secondly, he has to prove his hold not only on backward castes by playing the Mandal card but also to his core Yadav voters. A new set of Yadav leaders have emerged challenging Lalu, such as Pappu Yadav, Ram Kripal Yadav and Hukumdeo Narain Yadav. For the first time, Lalu is putting Gen-Next of his family—two sons and a daughter—in the fray. No one from his family is an MLA now.
Ram Vilas Paswan Tallest in his Turf
Ram Vilas Paswan has to prove himself as the tallest Dalit leader in Bihar in Assembly election 2015. For the first time, he is facing a threat from a new Dalit icon in Jitan Ram Manjhi. To ensure that his political comeback was not piggybacked on the Modi wave, Paswan has to repeat his performance in the Lok Sabha elections last year. Currently, his Lok Janshakti Party does not have a single legislator in the Assembly, but boasts six Members of Parliament.
Jitan Ram Manjhi Dalit Challenger
The former CM is a test case in this election, as he has to earn his spurs as a Dalit icon who can change the political discourse of Bihar. The performance of his party, mainly a team of rebel JD(U) MLAs, will decide whether his decision to walk out on Nitish was right. The much talked about Dalit assertion can be established by the performance of his Hindustani Awam Morcha. Manjhi’s capability to transfer votes in favour of the NDA would be another factor in judging his political worth.
Sushil Kumar Modi Saffron Satrap
The best known among state BJP leaders, who worked as deputy CM with Nitish, has put all his stakes in the election by campaigning for the party much ahead of the announcement of the poll dates. A good performance may put him in the list of probable CM candidates. He is virtually leading the campaign for all practical purposes. So, the seat count of his party will decide his political stature within the saffron brigade as Bihar has become a prestige issue.
Upendra Kushwaha Koeri king
Upendra Kushwaha, who dared to challenge Nitish and formed his own Rashtriya Lok Samata Party, faces a moment of reckoning among Koeris—numerically No. 2 after Yadavs among backward castes. They can change the political equation in 30-40 seats. If Kushwaha makes a dent, it would set back Nitish’s claims of their continued support. Despite winning all three MP seats it contested last year, his party is very much nascent.