The political frenzy ahead of the assembly elections later this year is indicative of an important shift in Bihar politics. This shift transcends the discourse of development or dignity. It signals a shift in populist politics. During the 1990s, populist politics in Bihar seemed to have thrived on the charismatic authority of Lalu Prasad. His credentials as a commoner gave him a political edge. While Lalu’s traditional charismatic-populist appeal still holds credible sway across the electorate in Bihar, RJD is still the single largest party in the state — there seems to be an erosion.
The post-Lalu period in Bihar has been dominated by the rule of Nitish Kumar, who has exerted his authority in the Weberian sense through a legal-rational source, with an overt reliance on the bureaucracy. Nitish has successfully used the bureaucratic governance mode of politics to not only tide over the lack of charismatic appeal that Lalu had, but has been able to entrench this legal-rational authority as a permanent feature of Bihar politics. So much so that for the past two decades, no matter which combination of parties came to power in Patna, he continued to be the CM.
However, this transition from the charismatic populist appeal to a populist appeal based on the legal-rational authority of bureaucrats and technocrats can be read as the advent of techno-populism in Bihar. In her book, The New Experts: Populist Elites and Technocratic Experts in Modi’s India, author Anuradha Sajjanhar explains “Techno-Populism” as a dominant political logic in contemporary societies that prompts political actors to appeal to “the people” while promising bureaucratic efficiency.
A perfect example of techno-populism is Prashant Kishor and his recently-launched Jan Suraaj party. While there are various technocratic steps through which Kishor, commonly known as PK, has attempted to professionalise and corporatise the politics of the state, it is important to note that he has been able to use his own credibility and image as a “success” story. He used his image of being a technocrat working on public health in the United Nations, and that of India’s most celebrated political strategist/consultant, to enhance his appeal among the masses. The participation of professionals in democracy, as Kishor says in Sajjanhar’s book, is understood to improve civic confidence and engagement in an otherwise defunct political system.
Professionals who distance themselves from politics put themselves in a post-ideological spectrum. They think that they can “fix” the system, as they are “outsiders” to a politics that has been corrupted. This overemphasis on a techno-populist model also seems to be driving the organisational expansion of Jan Suraaj, as the party has become an attractive platform for former IAS and former IPS officers. Similarly, there was an instance of two former IPS officers plunging into the political fray, where one joined a regional party VIP and the other resigned from the police force to launch his own political outfit, Hindu Sena Party. However, one must recall the fate of LSE Graduate and “UK return” Pushpam Priya Choudhary, who launched the Plurals party ahead of the 2020 state elections. It failed to make a mark.
Despite such an avowed rejection by the electorate, what drives aspiring politicians in Bihar to use this techno-populist appeal? To begin with, not everyone is gifted with the charismatic appeal of a Lalu Prasad. Unlike other states, where research has shown an increasing trend of businessmen entering electoral politics, election campaigns in Bihar are still relatively inexpensive and therefore, political parties are not always keen to nominate the richest candidates. In such a situation, in addition to identity markers like caste and gender, the credibility enjoyed by technocrats or former bureaucrats, who showcase themselves as “self-made”, is an attractive quality.
In an election saturated with aspiring politicians who often come with inadequate organisational prowess, techno-populist appeal may create a favourable momentum. Although one will have to wait for some time to realise its electoral impact, this apparent shift from a charismatic populist and traditional authority-based appeal to a techno-populist one has the potential to shape Bihar politics in coming years.
The writer teaches courses on Democracy, Indian Politics and Populism in Ahmedabad University
