O n October 6, 2025, the day the Election Commission of India declared dates for the Assembly elections in Bihar , various players, including Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief J.P. Nadda and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav, asserted that their parties will win. However, the State’s longest-serving Chief Minister, Nitish Kumar, did not say anything.

Mr. Kumar’s silence does not mean he is absent from the contest. In fact, the biggest question hanging over the polls is the state of his health and whether the electorate is inclined to reward him with a last electoral victory and send him off into the sunset, or vote against him and send him into political oblivion.

Mr. Kumar has carved out a significant voter support base, which includes Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs

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