Publication

This paper analyzes the results of the November 2005 elections in the Indian state of Bihar. The author points out that the results show a significant decline in the influence of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) Party and its leader, Lalu Prasad Yadav, who had ruled the state for 15 years. He attributes this to a higher maturity of the democratic process in the state and argues that democratic politics cannot long sustain a leadership style that ignores minimum needs. Further, he explains that once the external environment, the development in other states, and the opportunities arising from these were evident, the citizenry opted, at the earliest opportunity, for the political leadership that promises them growth, rather than caste politics.