How Modi Is Using Nationalism and Fear to Mask Unemployment and Governance Failures in Bihar’s 2025 Election

The Bihar Assembly elections on November 6 and November 11, 2025, are less a state vote than an exposure of the BJP’s political fear. Results are due November 14. The campaign has abandoned development for fake nationalism and religious division. Compressing the poll from five phases (2015) and three (2020) to just two suggests an effort to control a volatile situation of the government’s own making.

A Weak Hold on Power: The 243-seat assembly (requiring 122 for a majority) sees the NDA government clinging to power with 132 seats (BJP 78, JD(U) 45, allies 9).

A Divided Opposition: The Mahagathbandhan alliance holds 110 seats (RJD 75, INC 19, Left 16), with AIMIM holding 1, in a deeply split political landscape.

Nationalism as a Political Weapon

The BJP’s campaign reveals its desperation. Prime Minister Modi is using national security for local votes, shamelessly exploiting the Pahalgam attack. His first anti Pakistan speech was at a Bihar rally, mixing foreign policy with vote bank politics. This, plus “Operation Sindoor,” is a trick to hide the government’s terrible performance. The staggered release of candidate lists (94 then 12) is part of this tactic.

Hiding Failures with Warlike Talk: The warmongering is a clear distraction from the state’s failure to provide jobs, welfare, or basic services.

A Weak and Confused Opposition: This strategy is aided by a disorganized opposition, where the RJD struggles and the Congress fights for mere relevance.

The Strategy of Communal Division

The most dangerous element is the deliberate rise in communal violence. Bihar saw 65 incidents in 2025, a shocking jump from 7 in 2024. This is a political strategy, not random anger. The victims, mainly Muslims, Dalits, and Christians, are sacrificed for the BJP’s vote count. As Muslims (17% of the population) are decisive in over 60 constituencies, the BJP is reviving old conflicts to break opposition unity and secure its upper caste base.

Creating Conflict for Votes: The massive jump in communal violence from 7 (2024) to 65 (2025) is clear evidence of a state sponsored strategy.

Splitting the Opposition: The goal is to divide the 17% Muslim vote to prevent a united front against the BJP.

Exploiting Minorities and Dividing Votes

The BJP’s tricks extend to faking minority representation. The role of AIMIM (holding 1 seat, down from 5 in 2020) is widely seen as a ‘B-Team’ for the BJP. Its presence serves only to divide the Muslim vote that would otherwise go to the opposition. This vote splitting is a key BJP tactic to win close races, cynically using minority fears to help the Hindu nationalist agenda.

The ‘B-Team’ Plan: AIMIM’s role is viewed not as representation but as a tool to split the secular vote, directly benefiting the BJP NDA alliance.

The False Look of Representation: This tactic undermines genuine minority rights, creating a fragmented political field that only helps the right wing.

The Myth of Development in Bihar

The BJP’s “vikas” (development) slogan is a fraud. Despite a ₹42,000 crore capital budget (14% of total), infrastructure is ruined and 2020 projects are incomplete. The economy is grim: 33–35% of people are in poverty, and 88% live rurally. Joblessness is high (10.8% for urban youth, 3.4–3.9% overall). With 3.16 crore job seekers and private jobs at a dismal 1.9% (national average 11.3%), mass migration continues.

A State in Dire Poverty: With 33–35% of its 88% rural population in poverty, the ₹42,000 crore budget has shown no results.

Broken Promises and Joblessness: The 10.8% urban youth unemployment rate and 1.9% private sector job rate expose the government’s economic failure.

Manufacturing Fear on the Nepal Border

In a worrying new move, the Modi government is creating fear around Bihar’s 726-km border with Nepal. It is falsely linking this border to Pakistan, inventing threats of terrorist infiltration. Areas with large Muslim populations (like Kishanganj) are being painted as security threats. This is politics, not safety. By inventing an “enemy,” the BJP hopes to unite its Hindu vote and shift focus from its failures.

An Invented Security Threat: Using the 726-km Nepal border to create a false link to Pakistan and terrorism is a political ploy.

Using Fear for Political Gain: This story allows the Modi government to avoid blame for its economic failures by acting as the nation’s protector.

Upholding Upper-Caste Dominance

Behind the nationalist talk is the reality of upper caste (Savarna) control in the BJP and JD(U). The government blocks a full caste census, which would empower the OBC and Dalit majority. Instead, these groups are kept weak and divided. Meanwhile, anti Muslim hate speech and bulldozing homes are used to scare and weaken minorities, ensuring the upper caste power structure stays intact.

Stopping the Majority from Gaining Power: Resisting a caste census is a clear plan to deny political power to the state’s majority OBC and Dalit populations.

An Unfair Social System: The government actively suppresses minorities and lower castes to keep a political system run by the upper caste elite.

Conclusion: An Election Built on Propaganda

The 2025 Bihar election is a tragic example of Modi’s India. Nationalism is a weapon to hide failure. Religious division is state policy for winning. The BJP campaign is built on propaganda and fear because its governance record is so bad. While the opposition is weak and Congress warns of “vote chori” (vote stealing), the Modi regime holds all the power. Its control of media and the state makes this a scary test of whether propaganda can beat the people’s reality.