Eyeing Bihar's Yadav Votes, BJP Brings In Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister

As the high-stakes battle for Bihar heats up, the contest between the ruling NDA and the opposition INDIA Alliance has entered a decisive phase. With Chief Minister Nitish Kumar leading the JDU-BJP coalition, the INDIA bloc is putting its weight behind Congress's Rahul Gandhi and Rashtriya Janata Dal's Tejashwi Yadav, setting the stage for a fierce contest. 

In this high-voltage campaign, the BJP has now unveiled a new strategy, projecting Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav as one of its prominent campaigners in Bihar. 

His task, sources indicated, is to appeal directly to the influential Yadav electorate, counter the legacy of RJD patriarch Lalu Yadav, and reinforce Prime Minister Narendra Modi's push for another NDA government in the state.

On Sunday, Dr Mohan Yadav arrived in Patna to attend a major gathering of the Yadav Mahasabha, flanked by heavyweight leaders including OBC Commission National President Hansraj Ahir, Bihar Assembly Speaker Nandkishore Yadav, Chhattisgarh minister Gajendra Yadav, former Union Minister Ramkripal Yadav, and MLA Sanjeev Chaurasia. The cultural programme, organised around Lord Krishna, became a platform for political symbolism.

Invoking Bihar's ancient history, Dr Mohan Yadav said, "In the era of Emperor Ashoka, there used to be two parts of Ujjaini  Mahajanapada. One was Patna which is called Pataliputra. The other was Avantika (Ujjaini). The crown prince used to sit there and the emperor here. We have a connection with that era". 

He added that Bihar's cultural bonds go beyond history and extend to language.

"We have another connection which we associate with the Bhojpuri language. King Bhoj also came to this land of Bihar with his family in the past. Therefore, Bhojpuri is a little from here and a little from there," he said.

Linking Bihar's spiritual significance with Lord Krishna, the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister said, "If any state in the whole country is named after Lord Krishna, then it is Bihar. When we come to Bihar and say Jai Gopal Krishna, the joy of it increases further. After seeing the aspects of his life, the zeal to live life is seen in a different way." 

He also highlighted Bihar's deep religious and philosophical heritage, remarking, "Here in Patna, the son of Lord Krishna built a Sun Temple and brought alive the era of that time. Remember the era of Lord Buddha in Bihar -- 23 Tirthankaras of Jain society have given it a lively form by completing their physical journey from Shikhar Ji. Be it the time of Chanakya or the era of Nalanda Takshila, Bihar has attracted the attention of the whole country in every era".

His repeated emphasis on Bihar's history and his own Yadav identity underscores the BJP's strategy to use him as a cultural and political counterweight to Lalu Prasad Yadav's family and  appeal directly to a crucial vote bank.

He also linked the Supreme Court's Ram Mandir verdict and its implementation under Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the promise of justice.

"Lord Ram is smiling in Ayodhya today, and we will also celebrate what Krishna Kanhaiya did to Yamuna ji," he said. 

Mr Yadav positioned himself as a "common worker" elevated to the Chief Minister post by PM Modi, contrasting his journey to dynastic politics with a veiled jab at Lalu Prasad Yadav's family.

This is not Mohan Yadav's first foray into caste-community outreach. In July, the Madhya Pradesh government had organised a Nishadraj Sammelan, aimed at consolidating the Nishad (fishing) community -- a vote bank that holds sway in nearly 45 of Bihar's 243 Assembly seats. The symbolism was unmistakable ... invoking Nishadraj, the legendary boatman who ferried Lord Ram during his exile, to connect with Bihar's Nishad and Manjhi communities.

With the INDIA bloc aggressively campaigning and the NDA banking on PM Modi's charisma, the BJP is clearly leaning on Mohan Yadav's surname, right wing appeal, and grassroots worker image.