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Journalism of Courage
As the NDA swept the Bihar Assembly elections, riding on Nitish Kumar’s leadership and goodwill, the Urdu dailies kept the focus on the entire gamut of this big story over the week. The dailies also took a deep dive into the state of affairs prevailing in the Opposition camp, putting a spotlight on the widening rifts in the Lalu Prasad family in the wake of the poll debacle.
INQUILAB
Commenting on the NDA’s victory in the Bihar elections, the New Delhi edition of Inquilab, in its November 15 editorial, points out that the people of Bihar have again sprung a surprise, giving a historic mandate to the incumbent Nitish Kumar-led coalition, favouring continuity rather than change. With the NDA bagging 202 of 243 seats as against the Mahagathbandhan’s 35, the editorial says, “The verdict has again proved that the Bihar voters prefer initiatives over emotions, action over slogans, and performance over promises.” It states that the poll results also highlighted that instead of getting swayed by heated political rhetoric, the Bihar voters leaned towards issues related to their daily lives and hopes. “The Opposition ran a vigorous campaign, building up a high-pitched narrative around alleged electoral irregularities and ‘voter chori’, among other issues. It created some resonance, but the Bihar voters largely rejected it, making a distinction between allegations and evidence.”
The daily notes that the Mahagathbandhan’s biggest problem was its “internal rifts”, which was reflected, the edit adds, by its inability to seal a clear seat-sharing deal, friendly fights and leadership confusion. “Despite their spirited electioneering, Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav could not ensure unity and coordination among the Opposition ranks. While Tejashwi could not overcome his family baggage or unveil a new political roadmap, Rahul was plagued by his party’s organisational crises,” it says.
Nitish’s image remained the NDA’s central plank, the editorial states. “Nitish led the NDA’s campaign which was buoyed by his credibility, experience and sagacity, even as people rejected the Opposition’s campaign over his health issues. However, what apparently proved to be a clincher was his move to hand out Rs 10,000 dole to more than one crore women across the state,” it says. LJP(RV) chief Chirag Paswan also played a key role in shaping the NDA’s triumph. “The mandate has put a huge onus on the NDA to deliver on its pledges to make Bihar an exemplary state, give jobs to its youths, curb migration, champion the rights of women, and uphold law and order. Given these challenging targets, the NDA’s task is cut out now,” the edit adds.
URDU TIMES
Underlining the scale of the NDA’s win in Bihar, the Mumbai-based Urdu Times, in its November 16 leader, says that it has not only stunned the Opposition but has also shaken up those who had hoped for restoration of some balance of power at the state level. “The BJP has turned into an election juggernaut, rolling through the country. It has used various means and strategies to clinch state after state. In Maharashtra, it caused splits in the Shiv Sena and the NCP before taking the helm of the government,” the editorial says, wondering whether the regional players that could have challenged its supremacy have become a spent force. “Is the country headed to a political phase where a single party dominating the Centre would also rule the states?”
The daily says, “A key question that arises is, if the Opposition’s entire campaign against the BJP dispensation remains centred on alleged electoral irregularities such as ‘vote chori’ and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists, why has the Opposition bloc not taken to the streets? It had also made these charges after losing the Haryana and Maharashtra polls,” it states. Rahul Gandhi has been at the forefront of levelling these allegations. “And yet, when asked what would be his next course of action over vote chori, Rahul said it was not his job to protect the democratic system. This was disappointing for a sizeable section of people who have faith in the democratic and secular values of our country,” the edit says. “If the Opposition leadership’s face chooses retreat, what sacrifices could be expected from their party workers. There were various factors behind the BJP’s landslide in Bihar, of which the biggest one was its well-oiled, aggressive poll machinery,” it says, adding that while the Opposition parties remain in disarray, the coming months will see whether they could put their act together and face the looming challenges squarely.
SIASAT
With Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his victory speech after the Bihar poll outcome, sending a warning to the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) government that Bihar has paved the way for a BJP win in West Bengal, the Hyderabad-based Siasat, in its November 16 editorial, says that the BJP has now clearly set its sights on the Bengal elections slated for March-April 2026. Unlike Bihar, Bengal would not be an easy target for the BJP though, it says. “There were various factors behind the NDA’s triumph in Bihar, which included alleged partisanship of the Election Commission, but Bengal would be a different ball game for the BJP,” the edit says.
“The most important difference between Bihar and Bengal is the Mamata Banerjee factor,” the daily states, noting that the TMC chairperson has been the Bengal CM for consecutive three terms. “Mamata is a mass leader rooted in grassroots politics, who has a firm grip on the administration. In the Bihar polls, Nitish was the incumbent CM, which gave the NDA control over the state machinery,” the edit says, noting that Nitish’s challenger, the RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav, was the Leader of Opposition. “Also, Mamata is a firebrand leader known for her aggressive street politics. In the past few Assembly elections, the BJP had left no stone unturned to defeat her, but failed. It would again face an uphill battle in Bengal.”
