By Aafreen Hussain
From NDA’s job pledges to Mahagathbandhan’s rhetoric and Jan Suraaj’s new narrative voters are asking sharper questions than ever before.
THE GRAND SEASON OF PROMISES
As Bihar’s election battle intensifies, the streets buzz with slogans, promises, and competing visions for a “new Bihar.” The NDA, Mahagathbandhan, and Jan Suraaj have each released manifestos or missions, promising transformation.
But this time, the people of Bihar weary of repetition are responding not with applause, but with questions.
TO THE NDA: OLD PROMISES, NEW PACKAGING?
The NDA’s manifesto proclaims one crore government jobs and a new wave of industrial growth. Yet voters recall unfulfilled pledges ₹15 lakh deposits, Smart Cities, and doubled farm incomes all now political footnotes.
If two crore jobs a year couldn’t be created nationally, how can one crore be generated in Bihar alone?
And why did Chief Minister Nitish Kumar walk out of the manifesto launch in just 26 seconds? Is he leading, or leaving quietly?
When slogans outlive solutions, trust becomes the rarest currency.
TO THE BJP: IS NITISH STILL YOUR FACE, OR JUST A FRAME?
J.P. Nadda’s confident campaign contrasts sharply with Nitish Kumar’s visible absence.
The optics are telling: BJP’s command has grown; Nitish’s space has shrunk.
If this truly is “Nitish’s Bihar,” why does he appear like a guest in his own alliance?
And if not him, who represents the NDA’s soul in Bihar the strategist in Delhi or the CM in Patna?
TO THE MAHAGATHBANDHAN: WHERE IS THE BLUEPRINT?
Tejashwi Yadav’s rallying cry of “10 lakh jobs” captures public imagination but lacks economic grounding. The alliance critiques NDA’s failures but where is its own roadmap for Bihar’s revival?
Is the Mahagathbandhan united by vision, or merely by its opposition to the BJP? And can moral outrage alone rebuild broken industries and restore employment? Opposition without direction risks becoming echo without impact.
TO JAN SURAJ & PRASHANT KISHOR: IDEALISM OR ILLUSION?
Enter Prashant Kishor, the poll strategist turned reformist crusader. His Jan Suraaj Yatra cuts across districts with the promise of a “people’s movement, not politics.”
Yet the contradiction is glaring a man who once engineered campaigns for Modi, Nitish, and Mamata now claims to transcend politics itself. Can someone who built the very system he critiques now dismantle it credibly? If Jan Suraaj is truly non-political, why is it mobilizing cadres and drafting candidates?
The youth admire his data-driven clarity but wonder where the substance lies. Bihar has seen enough consultants; it now demands constructors.
TO ALL PARTIES: INDUSTRY WITHOUT LAND, PROMISES WITHOUT PLAN
Every camp from the ruling alliance to its rivals talks of factories, employment, and self-reliance. Yet no one explains how. Where will the land come from?
Who will invest in Bihar amid decaying infrastructure and unstable policy? And how long will “growth” remain a paragraph in manifestos instead of a plan on the ground? Until those answers arrive, Bihar’s prosperity will remain a press release.
THE PEOPLE’S VERDICT: NO MORE “JUMLAS”
In villages and cities alike, Bihar’s voters are far more politically literate than they are often credited for.
They remember each promise and every betrayal. This election, they are not swayed by slogans but searching for sincerity.
Whether it’s Modi’s charisma, Nitish’s experience, Tejashwi’s energy, or Kishor’s intellect Bihar wants results, not reputations.
Is “Jan Suraaj” a reform movement or a soft launch for a political party? Your teams collect data, hold rallies, and prepare candidate lists activities typical of political organizations. Where is the line between activism and ambition?
How can a former election strategist now claim neutrality? After scripting campaigns for almost every major leader, what moral distance allows you to critique them now?
Where is your economic model?
You speak of “people’s governance” but where is the roadmap for jobs, industry, and fiscal reform?
Will Jan Suraaj contest seats independently, or align later? If alliances emerge post-poll, will that not expose Jan Suraaj as another power-broker experiment?
Who holds you accountable?
Movements demand transparency too. Who funds Jan Suraaj, who audits it, and who ensures it doesn’t become another consultancy under a moral banner?
THE FINAL WORD: BRIHA, NOT BRANDS
From slogans of “Rozgar” to “Suraaj,” Bihar’s politics remains addicted to language, not logistics.
But this time, the electorate is alert fact-checking every word. The real test of 2025 is not who speaks for Bihar, but who works for it. Until then, this remains a story of manifestos in print and accountability missing in action.