Muskan Bhatia/Parwinder Sandhu
New Delhi, Nov 14 (UNI) The National Democratic Alliance’s sweeping victory in Bihar Assembly elections has set off a fresh round of public reaction, with voices online and on the ground, signalling shifts that neither the ruling bloc nor the opposition can overlook.
Even as the political battle reached its climax in the “Litti and Chokha” land, social media erupted with memes and commentary targeting key contenders, reflecting the charged mood across the state.
Hamid, a native of Muzaffarnagar who has migrated to Delhi for work, expressed joy over the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ‘s sweeping win in Bihar. Urging the government to work towards uplift of poor, and not increase the prices of basic facilities, including electricity and cooking fuel, he said, “We demanded prices of LPG cylinders to go cheaper, and voted for the BJP, hoping the fuel prices would be brought down to Rs 500. Rather, the prices shot up to Rs 1100 after they came to power.”
Another migrant, from Bihar’s capital city, Patna, Deepu Yadav, moved out at a young age of 18, looking for employment opportunities to feed his ailing mother and father in his hometown. He, however, preferred to sideline himself from politics. “I have given up on all the governments. All of them are corrupt, I am not interested in free ration or free electricity, the only thing I ask is to be able to earn my living respectfully.”
Over the years, he has learnt to bow his head, pay up to the authorities, coming to terms with the reality that to earn his bread and butter, he can’t evade corruption, regardless of which government holds the power. Yadav’s sentiment resonated in Hamid’s words, who said, “Whichever government is in power — BJP, Congress, or anyone else — it doesn’t matter. If they do the right thing for the poor and those with the least power, that’s all we really ask for.”
Meanwhile, social media was flooded with memes targeting the major players in the political battle. “Bihar ki ek khaasiyat hai. Jab jab aapko lagta hai aap Bihar ko samajh gaye hain, Bihar aapko jhatka deta hai (Bihar has a unique quality. Just when you think you’ve understood Bihar, Bihar gives you a shock.). Bihar is not for beginners,” read one post on X.
Taking a jibe at Prashant Kishor for the dismal performance of his party Jan Suraaj in the elections, a user posted, “Bro actually thought he would get seats by talking about jobs, education, health and development in Bihar.”
“No matter what the result is, beyond party politics, Prashant Kishor deserves respect. For years, Bihar’s PK is the first to bring those real issues into the centre of this election. He’s fighting for the people, not for power,” read another post.
“Congress must break free from RJD’s shadow & rebuild from scratch in Bihar. BJP’s in election mode 365 days a year, Congress wakes up only for 60. Time for Congress to change the playbook,” suggested a user in its X post.
“Glad to see Laalu alive to see his family getting decimated at the polls. Thousands of 90s kids who had to live away from their parents in boarding schools just to avoid getting kidnapped, thousands who had to forfeit their ancestral land as a bribe to get a clerical job, millions who studied hard under a lantern or a petromax to somehow escape the jungle raj. All of them, across the world, doing well, now looking at their phone screens and the numbers, and smiling. This is victory,” read another post.
