Patna: Bihar’s assembly elections are turning into a spectacle where glitter meets grassroots politics and star power threatens to eclipse seasoned political experience. In a dramatic pivot, major parties are staking their fortunes on singers and film personalities whose influence extends far beyond the stage or screen, reaching millions offline and online. For a state long defined by caste, local clout and decades of political experience, this represents a seismic shift in what it means to be a “winnable” candidate.The RJD has placed its bet on Bhojpuri superstar Khesari Lal Yadav in Chhapra constituency, where he faces the BJP’s Chhoti Kumari. Unlike in 2020 and 2015, when the RJD ticket went to Randhir Kumar Singh, Khesari’s charisma and fan following now take centre stage. His campaign anthems, such as “Tejaswi ke bina sudhaar na hui, Lalu bina chaalu Bihar na hui,” have gone viral on social media, energising youth supporters and dominating reels across platforms.The BJP, meanwhile, has fielded folk sensation Maithili Thakur from Darbhanga’s Alinagar seat against RJD’s Binod Mishra. Thakur’s cultural resonance through Chhath and folk songs appeals to the Maithil Brahmin vote bank, demonstrating the party’s strategy of blending tradition with celebrity magnetism.In the high-stakes Kargahar seat, the fledgling Jan Suraaj has chosen actor-singer Ritesh Pandey to challenge incumbent Congress MLA Santosh Kumar Mishra and JD(U)’s Bashishth Singh. Pandey’s official party song, “Har ghar ke aawaz baruye, aane wala jan suraaj baruye,” is already gaining traction online, signalling the growing importance of digital campaigns in mobilising support.All three celebrities boast millions of followers across social media platforms, highlighting a new electoral paradigm where charisma, media appeal and viral content may outweigh traditional political work.Yet, this strategy is not without criticism. Political analyst DM Diwakar warns that it may undermine democratic representation. “This is not a new thing, but what is happening now is that celebrities who do not have much experience even in their own field are getting tickets. This means that our politics has gone to a lower level, and the biggest loss is that of the people,” he said.Diwakar cautioned that star appeal cannot substitute for ground-level knowledge. “The crowd can be converted into voters when you have booth-level workers. If there are people from your party on the ground, they convert the crowd into voters.” The rise of celebrity candidates thus signals both a bold experiment in energising youth and a challenge to traditional political structures, as Bihar enters a new, glitzy phase of electoral politics.
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‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source timesofindia.indiatimes.com ’
