Google News Preferred Source on Google News Indian Republic Logo

In India's Bihar, Three Power Centers Vie for Control: Rahul Gandhi, Nitish Kumar and the Rising Street Power of Prashant Kishor

Edited by IndianRepublic.in - Location: Bihar, India

The Indian state of Bihar is becoming a stage for three distinct and competing visions of politics: one built on continuity and development, another on democratic safeguards and electoral integrity, and a third on grassroots accountability through confrontation.

Representational Image Source: Mr Democratic on X
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, newly installed as Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, was in Araria this weekend alongside Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav and other INDIA bloc allies. The occasion was part of the Voter Adhikar Yatra, a 1,300-kilometre campaign traversing more than 20 districts and designed to rally public attention around the fairness of the electoral process in the upcoming state polls.

Gandhi claimed that the alliance is “ideologically and politically aligned,” and promised that a common manifesto for the assembly elections will soon be released. He underlined that the INDIA bloc parties were working in “mutual respect” and “good partnership.”

But beyond party messaging, Gandhi’s sharpest critique was reserved for the Election Commission of India (ECI), which he accused of “institutionalised vote theft” in favour of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). 

The claims were tied to the Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar -- a process Gandhi alleges is being manipulated to suppress opposition votes.

Gandhi cited previous cases in Haryana, Karnataka, and Maharashtra, where he alleged that "forged voters" were added to rolls. 

He contrasted the Commission’s response to his complaints -- demanding an affidavit -- with its silence when similar concerns were raised by a minister from the ruling NDA. “The EC is not neutral,” he said.

Gandhi’s remarks sparked a sharp response from senior BJP leaders. Ravi Shankar Prasad, a former Union Minister and MP from Bihar, called the remarks “shameless” and accused Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav of “spreading lies” about the electoral process. 

He pointed to the Congress’ victories in Telangana, Himachal Pradesh, and several seats in Maharashtra as proof that the same Election Commission had overseen elections fairly when opposition parties had won.

Data provided by the ECI supports that over 98% of Bihar’s 7.24 crore voters have submitted valid documents during the SIR process. 

Only 0.16% objections have been recorded, with more than 3.28 lakh new applicants -- mostly first-time voters turning 18 -- expected to be added by the deadline of September 1.

The Voter Adhikar Yatra, however, is also a campaign vehicle for opposition consolidation.

Visuals of Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav riding motorcycles through Bihar’s hinterland speak to the attempt at populist appeal. The yatra recalls Gandhi’s earlier Bharat Jodo Yatra, which helped revive his image nationally and energise the Congress ahead of the 2024 general elections.

The yatra’s framing is deliberate -- it seeks to recast the Bihar election not as a referendum on Nitish Kumar’s two-decade governance but as a test of institutional fairness and citizen rights. 

“Vote chor, gaddi chhor (vote thief, vacate seat of power),” Rahul Gandhi has been repeatedly saying, quoting slogans he claims were raised by local folks -- symbolic of what the opposition describes as deep voter anger.

Yet the INDIA bloc’s internal dynamics remain in flux. Despite Tejashwi Yadav’s prominence and his recent public pitch for Rahul Gandhi as a future Prime Minister, Gandhi declined to name him as the bloc’s chief ministerial face in Bihar, sidestepping repeated media questions. 

This ambiguity fuels speculation about the Congress' reluctance to cede leadership in the state -- a space where its electoral presence is diminished but still symbolically important. On the other hand, the Congress also bears the brunt of the misgovernance that the critics allege was instrumentalized during the reign of RJD-led government.

Meanwhile, Bihar’s Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who first assumed office in 2005, is positioning himself on a contrasting register: continuity, governance performance, and policy delivery. His speeches are effectively a campaign launchpad, citing long-term improvements in policing, education, healthcare, and employment.

He has stated that the police force had grown from 42,000 to 1.3 lakh, while kidnapping and dacoity rates had dropped. More than 10 lakh government jobs were created, with 1 crore more pledged. 

Health centres that once saw barely 50 patients now treat over 11 lakh monthly. Every household now has electricity. His argument is that Bihar is not what it was in the 1990s — and that this transformation requires stability to continue.

Standing apart from both camps is Prashant Kishor, the once-celebrated political strategist who helped engineer victories for Narendra Modi, Nitish Kumar, Arvind Kejriwal, and Mamata Banerjee. Kishor now leads Jan Suraaj, a grassroots movement he founded after abandoning the consultant’s desk. His strategy blends protest marches, public grievances, and sharp data work — a hybrid of mobiliser and technocrat.

In July, he led thousands to the Bihar Assembly, accusing the Nitish Kumar government of betraying its promise to give ₹2 lakh to 94 lakh poor families. He challenged police directly, offering himself up for arrest, and now positions himself as the only force willing to confront entrenched political class failures. Critics point to the lack of electoral proof of concept for Jan Suraaj, but Kishor’s insider knowledge of the political system lends his movement credibility.

Kishor has long been leading a padyatra model in Bihar and he is received warmly everywhere he goes. His words and speeches bring promise and hope to the people and unlike the Vote Adhikar Yatra Prashant Kishor has no burden of past corruption or misgovernance.

The state’s political field, then, is not simply crowded but philosophically divided. Nitish Kumar represents technocratic continuity, measured in schemes and services. Rahul Gandhi and the INDIA bloc are mounting a case for procedural legitimacy, arguing that even the best policies matter little if democracy is undermined. Prashant Kishor offers insurgent accountability, targeting broken promises and elite detachment.

Each contender stakes a different kind of claim: Nitish to results, Rahul to fairness, Kishor to justice. For Bihar’s 12 crore residents, the election will be about how democracy itself is defined: through performance, process, or protest.

The Election Commission, in its public statements, has continued to maintain that all revisions of electoral rolls are being carried out transparently and in accordance with law. However, in a climate of deepening distrust between political parties and institutions, even routine administrative actions become sites of political contest. 

In addition, it is important to point out that the ECI has been releasing daily bulletins on Press Information Bureau too. 

In Bihar -- often called India’s political laboratory -- the next few months will decide how power is won, justified, and held to account. 

Loading... Loading IST...
AGE OF MANY POWERS
View →
๐ŸŒ MULTIPOLAR MOVEMENT TRACKER ON
Loading headlines...

Loading Top Trends...

WORLD-EXCLUSIVE

Scanning sources...

๐Ÿ”ฆ Newsroom Feed

    Font Replacer Active
    ABOUT US CONTACT US PRIVACY POLICY TERMS & CONDITIONS INDIAN DIPLOMACY PARLIAMENT SESSION POTUS TRUMP KREMLIN ALERTS LOP RAHUL GANDHI PM NARENDRA MODI