In previous Bihar Vidhan Sabha polls, Yadav caste showed near-total loyalty to RJD-led Mahagathbandhan. The alliance is also maintaining and making sustained efforts to the party’s grassroots strength by relying on its most loyal and mobilized base, the Yadavs, an assertive caste bloc. But now the BJP has aggressively fielded MP Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav to counter Tejashwi Yadav, the proposed CM face of Mahagathbandhan. Dr Yadav – one of the star campaigners of the party - is now in heavy demand for campaigning in favour of NDA candidates in different parts of Bihar and on October 31, he was in Patna, campaigning in two Assembly segments. Now the voters are comparing Dr Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav. Dr Yadav’s family  has no political lineage unlike Tejashwi Yadav. Also, Dr Yadav graduated from Vikram University, Ujjain with a BSc degree. He also pursued his academic interest and completed MA and LLB. He did not stop here and also studied Master of Business Administration and Doctorate of Philosophy. One more fact that is touching voters is, his family did not reside with him in Chief Minister’s bungalow. He is a gentle and down-to-earth politician. However, Tejashwi Yadav lacks all these qualities. So, for the electorate, it is also a battle of sorts for Dr Mohan Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav.

 
Nitish Kumar: Longest serving Chief Minister but not contested Assembly polls in last 20 years

Nitish Kumar – who remains the state’s longest serving Chief Minister - hasn’t contested a Bihar Assembly election in decades. The Bihar CM, instead, chooses the Legislative Council route to join the state Assembly. The last time Nitish Kumar was part of the Bihar Assembly was in 1985, since then he has only contested the state Assembly election once in 1995 from Harnaut. However, he did not retain his seat as he chose to remain a Lok Sabha MP. Kumar contested three consecutive Bihar Assembly elections in 1977, 1980 and 1985, but managed to win only once, in 1985. He then shifted his focus to national politics, contesting six Lok Sabha elections - 1989, 1991, 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2004. He won the Lok Sabha polls each time. In 2004, he contested Parliament elections from both Barh and Nalanda; although he lost in Barh, he secured a win in Nalanda. That election marked the last time Nitish Kumar personally entered the electoral fray.
 
 

Deterrence signalling amid Pak Army Chief’s Bangladesh visit Gen Sahir Mirza met BD Army Chief Oct 28. UAE Army visit (Oct 28) is tied to joint ops?