Md Asghar Khan is a Senior Correspondent from Jharkhand writing about politics, human rights, tribal issues, women issues, and the environment. He is available at asghar@outlookindia.com
Despite constituting nearly 18 per cent of the population, Muslims have secured only 11 Assembly seats—three times lower than proportional share. Vote fragmentation in Seemanchal, AIMIM’s rise, shrinking tickets from secular parties, and growing Hindu-Muslim polarisation have collectively weakened Muslim leadership, marking the sharpest decline in their political influence since Independence.
As the results became clearer on November 14, JD(U) workers began chanting slogans about Nitish—among them, “Tiger abhi zinda hai (Tiger is alive)” and “Nitish zaroori bhi hain, majboori bhi (Nitish is indispensable)”
The 2025 Bihar mandate brought Nitish Kumar back as Chief Minister for the 10th time, even though the BJP emerged as the largest party. Yet the real story is how Nitish retained control over his core power centres — the Home Ministry, the Education Ministry, and influence over the Speaker’s post.
Nitish Kumar’s resounding 2025 victory is rooted in a political transformation two decades in the making: the rise of the empowered female voter in Bihar. Through sustained focus on security, education, economic support, and direct cash transfers, Nitish built the state’s most reliable vote bank—women. Their record turnout, caste-neutral choices, and expanding political agency decisively shaped the election outcome.
Despite promises of empowerment and the passage of the Women’s Reservation Bill, political parties across the spectrum have failed to reflect women’s growing democratic strength in their ticket distribution
Dashrath Manjhi cut through a mountain for 22 years. His family remains poor, living on a stony land. “My father never asked for anything,” his son tells Outlook. Leaders visit for votes but never return to help.
Bihar’s enduring legacy of political violence is intertwined with caste politics, where assertions of the dominated sections carved out a political space for the strongmen deployed to suppress them
Owaisi sharpens his Seemanchal strategy with charged identity politics and grassroots expansion, aiming not only to consolidate Muslim identity but also to secure long-term regional influence through sustained political engagement.
The stories of Dashrath Manjhi and Laungi Bhuiyan reveal a deeper pattern of how Bihar’s Dalits remain confined to announcements and symbolism rather than tangible progress
Outlook's Md Asghar Khan spoke with Saif Ali Khan, NCP candidate from Manihari. The Muslim Adivasi discusses his Banjara roots, changing his name to escape stigma, BJP's "Bangladeshi" fear politics, and challenging tribal stereotypes in Bihar.
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