The ‘big brother’ act: How BJP scripted Maharashtra playbook in Bihar | India News

New Delhi: “Voice” is high for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as Bihar is set to get a Chief Minister from the saffron party. Samrat Chowdhury was elected leader of the NDA legislative party, paving the way to become Bihar’s first BJP chief minister. And with this, the BJP has once again delivered a masterclass on “how to own a coalition”.Chowdhury, who is expected to take oath on April 15, will take over the top post from Nitish Kumar, who resigned earlier in the day. This is definitely a high moment for the BJP, which is trying to keep the alliance smooth and still on top of them. The announcement also appears to be a repeat of what happened in Maharashtra when Devendra Fadnavis was reinstated as the chief minister of the state.

For much of the 2000s, the BJP was a quiet partner in Bihar, drawing strength from Nitish Kumar’s credibility and ethnic alliances. In 2005 and again in 2010, it was Nitish who led from the front, with the JD(U) consistently winning more seats than the BJP.However, this balance began to crack in 2014. Nitish’s decision to quit the NDA with Narendra Modi as its prime ministerial candidate backfired badly. Fighting separately, the JD(U) was reduced to just 2 Lok Sabha seats and Nitish Kumar resigned as CM, taking moral responsibility.In the 2015 assembly elections, the BJP had the highest vote share of 25% and 53 seats, but still lacked power as the Mahagathbandhan (RJD – ​​80; JD(U) – 71) assembled a strong social coalition. When Nitish returned to the NDA in 2017, the BJP was no longer the same player. By 2020, it was clearly ahead of the coalition, winning significantly more seats than the JD(U). The party won 74 seats and JD(U) won 43 seats. Even with Nitish as Chief Minister, the equation within the coalition has changed.By 2025, the BJP had completely flipped the script. The NDA contested Nitish Kumar as Chief Minister in the Assembly elections. However, the BJP with 89 seats emerged as a bigger partner than the JD(U) with 85 seats. During Nitish Kumar’s tenure as Chief Minister, the BJP took control of key portfolios such as Home. And finally within a year, Bihar was able to give its first BJP Chief Minister with Samrat Chowdhury.

Before Bihar, it was Maharashtra where the BJP applied the same formula. Here, the BJP has shown how to rebuild alliances from within, turn partners into dependents and regain major control without breaking alliances.There was a time when Devendra Fadnavis had to resign and Eknath Shinde was made Chief Minister as Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) split and merged with BJP. However, in the 2024 assembly elections, the BJP emerged as the single largest party in the ruling Mahayuti with 132 of the 288 seats. Backed by strong numbers, the BJP pushed for a change in leadership and on December 5, 2024, Fadnavis was sworn in as Chief Minister, with Shinde moving to the role of Deputy Chief Minister.Back in power, BJP has moved to centralize power. Key portfolios such as home, finance and law were retained by the CMO, reducing operational space for both Shinde and Ajit Pawar, who also served as deputy CM. The coalition remained intact, but its internal balance shifted decisively. After Ajit Pawar’s death, his wife Sunetra Pawar was given his post in the Maharashtra Cabinet. BJP’s electoral strength has strengthened its position. In the January 2026 municipal elections, it performed strongly across urban centres, including Mumbai.In Bihar and Maharashtra, the rise of the BJP within alliances has shown how not to break alliances. By expanding its own voter base while narrowing the space for its partners, the BJP has shown that alliances can be the path to dominance, not compromise.