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NEW DELHI: In the high-stakes showdown for Bihar assembly polls, NDA, helmed by BJP and CM Nitish Kumar’s JDU, is expecting a resounding endorsement of its “double engine” governance, claiming to have lifted the state from ‘Jungle Raj’ quagmire to the cusp of ‘Viksit Bihar’. Home minister Amit Shah said on Monday that NDA government has pulled Bihar out of ‘Jungle Raj’ and given it a new direction of development and good governance, and expressed confidence that the state’s people will once again choose politics of development in the coming polls.BJP president JP Nadda and JDU executive president Sanjay Jha sounded equally confident as they asserted that the polls are for continuing the state’s development, ridding it of infiltrators, and stopping return of ‘misgovernance’.Matrize opinion poll has projected a landslide victory for NDA with the alliance’s vote share expected at 49%, translating into 150-160 seats in the 243-member assembly. ‘Mahagathbandhan’ (RJD-Congress-Left combine) is expected to garner 36%, accounting for 70-85 seats, it said. The projections, though always taken with a pinch of salt, will further boost the mood in NDA camp.Governing coalition views the election calendar as a canvas to paint its narrative of progress with steady focus on welfarism, even as it braces for opposition INDIA bloc’s “caste-driven” counteroffensive. PM Modi’s popularity, coupled with announcements of social empowerment schemes & development projects, complements Nitish’s ‘Sushasan Babu’ image. The 9-term CM is seen to have retained his grip over extremely backward classes (EBCs), bolstered by an attempted 27% EBC reservation hike and local body quotas for women.Central to NDA’s strategy, however, is to capitalise on the image of Modi also as a move to combat possibility of fatigue among voters after two decades of Nitish’s incumbency. Besides, Shah’s tactical acumen is seen as a decisive factor as he has played a crucial role in consolidating the alliance & equation among partners with a reasonable seat-sharing formula, likely to be announced soon.Yet NDA’s journey isn’t without potholes. Internal performance audits have indicated anti-incumbency for several sitting MLAs, prompting ticket denials to inject fresh blood, resulting in rebellions. Nitish’s health is another factor that ignites hope in opposition camp even as NDA parties have played it down.
