Tejashwi Yadav targets youth and women voters, aiming to bridge gaps left by Nitish Kumar’s decline.
New Delhi: Ahead of the Assembly elections in Bihar, the RJD’s chief ministerial face and current Leader of Opposition, Tejashwi Yadav, is focusing on a new target audience that transcends beyond caste lines. According to party insiders, the RJD is recalibrating its approach to appeal to youth and women voters.
Traditionally, the RJD has relied on its Muslim-Yadav vote bank, which constitutes around 30% of Bihar’s population. However, Tejashwi is now broadening this focus to include a wider demographic under the same acronym. A leader said, “Now the focus will be on “MY”, but this time it means Mahila and Youth. There are lessons to be learnt from the recent Assembly elections in Jharkhand and Maharashtra. In both states, the BJP and JMM respectively focused on women voters, which contributed to their victories. Nitish Kumar’s declining health and waning appeal with the electorate create an opportunity for us to fill that gap.”
Tejashwi has been visiting each of Bihar’s 38 districts, spending the day meeting with local residents and engaging in direct conversations. During these visits, he connects with approximately 40 people per day, discussing his political priorities, particularly the empowerment of women and job creation for the youth. According to political analysts, this kind of campaign has helped the party to expand its audience. Additionally, Tejashwi has planned to embark on a statewide tour after August 15 to connect with the youth and other demographics, as he aims to build momentum ahead of the elections.
Tejashwi has also made policy proposals, including a pledge to provide 200 units of free electricity to households if the RJD-led alliance wins the Assembly elections. This promise is part of his broader appeal to address issues affecting the populace, including women and the youth.
However, a section of party leaders think that Tejashwi’s plans would only materialise when all the legislators and senior leaders of the party are on board, and act on his instructions.
A party insider said, “Most of the leaders are unhappy with Tejashwi as he is not engaging enough with his own leaders. When they try to approach him with important issues, he directs them to his political advisor, Sanjay Yadav, which has annoyed a lot of leaders.”
A political analyst based in Bihar said, “While Bihar, like Maharashtra, is a state where no single party can easily secure a majority, Tejashwi has gained significant popularity among the youth. He has consistently focused on job creation in a state plagued by unemployment. There are around four lakh vacancies in government jobs. He has promised to fill these vacancies. However, it is not very easy to assess a state such as Bihar. There are caste factors that will play a major role in the elections.”