The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)-led Mahagathbandhan, comprising the RJD, Congress, and Left parties, faces a daunting challenge in the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections, set for October or November, amid the political ripples of Operation Sindoor and the Centre’s recent caste census announcement. Operation Sindoor, a May 2025 military strike responding to the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people, has unleashed a wave of nationalist sentiment across India, including Bihar, strengthening the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The Centre’s April 2025 decision to include caste enumeration in the upcoming national census has further complicated Bihar’s political narrative, intensifying caste-based mobilisation. The Mahagathbandhan must navigate four critical struggles: countering the BJP’s nationalism-driven narrative, managing Congress’s criticism of Operation Sindoor, resolving internal alliance tensions, and addressing the threat of Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party, which could fragment RJD’s vote share.

Operation Sindoor has galvanised nationalist fervour in Bihar, with public celebrations and temple prayers amplifying the NDA’s “national security” narrative. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s invocation of the operation in rallies has solidified the BJP’s image as a........

© Free Press Journal