Day 2 - The Decline of Nitish Kumar: Between Women’s Loyalty and Tejashwi Yadav’s Youth Game:

Welcome back to the “Awaaz-e-Bihar” series

After exploring the political battlefield on Day 1, in Day 2, we focus on Nitish Kumar, a leader who once had full control of Bihar’s politics but now facing questions about his image and support.

His loyal women voters still stand with him, but the youth of Bihar is slowly looking towards

Tejashwi Yadav.

Let’s understand how the once-called as “Sushasan Babu” is now struggling to hold his ground between the loyalty of women voters and the growing attraction of Bihar’s youth towards Tejashwi Yadav.

Decline of Nitish Kumar :

Nitish Kumar was once known as the man who brought change in Bihar.

People often use to call him Sushasan Babu because they trusted his work on ground and leadership. But with time, that image has started to fade. His frequent changes in alliance (from NDA to UPA) have made people to lose faith.

Many voters now say he thinks more about to stay in power as a Chief Minister of Bihar, than people.

The tag “Paltu Ram” has become a common slang about him, but it also shows how his trust level has gone down. In many areas like Patna Rural and East Champaran, JDU workers themselves look less active now.

They still respect Nitish Kumar, but the energy and confidence of earlier days is missing.

Even his speeches now sound repetitive, not like the strong and confident leader he once was.

 C-Voter Bihar Survey – October 2025 (Source: ABP News)

Category	Tejashwi Yadav (RJD)	Nitish Kumar (JD-U)	NDA (Overall)	Mahagathbandhan (INDIA Bloc)
CM Preference	36.2 %	15.9 %	–	–
Alliance Support	–	–	40.2 %	38.3 %

Survey by ABP-C-Voter, October 2025. Margin of error ± 3 %. Sample size ≈ 10,000 respondents across Bihar.

The big question is simple: Can Nitish Kumar still connect with people the way he used to?

Recent numbers show the reality on the ground. Nitish’s popularity has dropped very sharply, while Tejashwi’s appeal among young voters keeps growing.

Women’s Loyalty to Nitish: Will It Change the Dynamics

Women have always been one of Nitish Kumar’s strongest vote bases.

From the days of free cycle scheme, liquor ban and gas connection schemes -he built a strong emotional and policy connection amongst women, especially in rural Bihar. They saw him as a leader who always cared for safety, dignity and small though real benefits that reached their homes.

But the situation in 2025 looks different. Many women say they respect Nitish Kumar but feel their lives haven’t changed much after 2020. Rising prices, lack of jobs for their young children and poor implementation of welfare schemes have reduced their trust.

In recent local interviews, some women in Gaya and Madhubani said they are thankful for the “gas and safety” policies, but now they expect “income and opportunity” , things Nitish has failed to deliver them.

Meanwhile, many young women and students are listening to Tejashwi Yadav’s job promises with curiosity, even if not full confidence yet. Nitish still hopes that his women welfare image will save him again, but this time, it’s not that much simple.

The emotional connect remains, but the political loyalty is clearly weakening.

Year	Phase 1 Turnout	Note
2020	Around 59.7% (statewide average)	Women voted more than men, seen as Nitish’s strong support base.
2025	Around 65% (Phase 1 reports)	Higher participation this time, especially among women voters.

Bihar Electoral analysts say that whenever voting numbers go high especially when women vote in large numbers, it usually helps Nitish Kumar, because women have been his most loyal supporters since years.

But there is also another view.

Some believe that when - public wants a big change, they come out in large numbers to vote and that often goes against the ruling government.

That’s why this time, Bihar’s high turnout is seen as a sign of both hope and change. It's completely unpredictable.

RJD’s Youth Strategy

Tejashwi Yadav has made jobs and youth the main focus of his politics.

He speaks directly to youth i.e  students, job seekers and first-time voters, who are tired of waiting for opportunities.

In almost every rally his message is same: “We need jobs, not excuses.”

RJD’s new campaign teams are very active on social media. They post short videos, crowd clips and success stories to show that how Tejashwi connects well with the youth.

This online activity has helped him to reach students from Patna, Gaya, and Bhagalpur - places full of coaching institutes and youth aspirants.

Inside the RJD, Tejashwi has also brought many young faces into leadership roles. Old leaders are still respected, but the focus is now on new youth energy and digital-style campaigning.

This has made the party look more modern and connected with the next generation as compare to their old tenure. Ground reports also say that many young voters who earlier supported JD(U) or BJP are now giving RJD a chance, mainly because they want jobs and better governance, not just promises delivered in speeches.

Promised Data:

In its manifesto titled “Bihar ka Tejashwi Prann”, he promised a government job for every family and pledged to pass legislation within 20 days of taking office.

Another key promise: 200 units of free electricity for households and Rs 1 lakh per year to women from poor families.

Promise	Details
Jobs for All Families	One government job for every family; law to be passed within 20 days if voted to power.
Free Electricity	200 units of free electricity for every house.
Support for Women	₹1 lakh per year to the women from poor families.
Health & Education	Free medical facilities in government hospitals and new schools in every block.
Focus on Youth	Large-scale recruitment drive for teachers and police, and regular government exams.

RJD’s Dark Past and Tejashwi’s Effort to Move Beyond It:

For many people in Bihar, the word “RJD rule” still remind them of the 1990s- a time often described as Jungle Raj. It was a period linked with poor law and order, caste violences and weak governance under Lalu Prasad Yadav.

This image became the biggest reason why RJD lost power and Nitish Kumar rose as the face of good governance.

Even today, many older voters associate RJD with that same dark history. This is one of Tejashwi Yadav’s toughest challenge, to convince people that today’s RJD is not the same as the RJD of the 1990s.

In his speeches, Tejashwi now often says that the party has “learned from the past” and wants to build a new Bihar based on employment and equality. He use to avoids the emotional caste-based language that once dominated Bihar’s politics under Lalu's era. Tejashwi instead talk about jobs, infrastructure and youth issues.

However, BJP and JDU leaders still continue to remind voters of that old image ofRJD, calling it a warning against “returning to the era Jungle Raj.”

This makes Tejashwi’s rebranding even harder because whenever he makes new promises, the opposition tries to bring back memories of the old RJD rule.

Still, Tejashwi’s strategy is clear tofocus on the future of Bihar and use his calm tone and modern campaign to slowly erase the fears of the dark past.

Whether this plan works or not will depend on how much the youth trust him more than the memories of their parents’ generation.

Then vs Now: RJD’s Image in Bihar:

Period	Key Image	Public Perception	Main Focus
1990s – RJD under Lalu Prasad Yadav	“Jungle Raj” law and order failure, corruption, caste-based politics.	Fear, chaos and lack of governance became public memory.	Power by caste loyalty  not by performance.
2025 – RJD under Tejashwi Yadav	Youth-focused, modern and development-oriented.	Hope among young voters- attempt to rebuild trust.	Jobs, education, women support and employment promises.

Conclusion:

Nitish Kumar’s journey shows how trust can rise and fall in Indian politics. From being called “Sushasan Babu”,

the symbol of good governance, now he is seen by many- as a tired leader struggling to protect his CM's Chair. His biggest strength i.e the women voters can still support him,but the growing pressure from the youth and the “need for change” sentiment across Bihar has created a serious "Agnipariksha" for his leadership.

This election is not just about Nitish vs Tejashwi. It is about whether people still believe in Nitish’s old promises or they want a new face to lead the state in the coming time ahead.

In Day 3 of Awaaz-e-Bihar series, we will look at how BJP and Congress have become dependent on regional alliance partners to stay relevant in Bihar.

We will also analyse how Jan Suraj’s rising popularity is quietly changing the dynamics, forcing both major alliances to rethink their strategies.