POLITICS

Is the Minister enjoying 'Swasthya Laabh'?

One minister of the Modi Govt has not been attending the office on health grounds for the last few months. According to sources, he is availing 'Swasthya Laabh '. Who will confirm whether the minister is well or sick?

Bureaucracy to Dominate Bihar Elections

The 2025 Bihar Assembly elections are witnessing an unprecedented influx of retired bureaucrats into electoral politics, marking a seismic shift in the state's political landscape as former civil servants leverage their administrative credentials to challenge traditional politicians.

Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraj Party has emerged as the primary destination for bureaucratic talent. The party's working president, Manoj Bharti, is a distinguished 1998-batch IFS officer who served as India's ambassador to Ukraine, Belarus, and Indonesia before retiring in March 2023. Jan Suraj has attracted approximately 25 former government officials, including three retired IAS officers—Arvind Kumar Singh, Gopal Narayan Singh, and Lallan Jee.

Jay Prakash Singh, a 2000-batch IPS officer who served as Additional Director General in Himachal Pradesh, abandoned a promising career trajectory to join Jan Suraj. Singh, originally from Saran district's Ekma village, achieved UPSC All-India rank 59 before taking voluntary retirement.

Shivdeep Waman Lande, the charismatic 2006-batch IPS officer known as Bihar's "Singham," launched his own political outfit called Hind Sena. Lande, famous for his aggressive policing style in Patna and fights against stone-crushing mafias, plans to contest all 243 assembly seats after taking VRS in 2024.

The trend extends beyond Jan Suraj. S Siddharth, a 1991-batch IAS officer serving as Additional Chief Secretary of Bihar's Education Department, has applied for voluntary retirement and may contest from Nawada district on a JD(U) ticket. Dinesh Kumar Rai, another IAS officer, has taken VRS and is expected to contest from Kargahar constituency under JD(U).

This bureaucratic exodus reflects deeper voter sentiment favoring administrative competence over traditional political lineage. As political analyst Manindra Nath Thakur observes, "professionals want to lead from the front rather than contribute from advisory positions". The migration signals a strategic response to voter fatigue with conventional leadership, potentially reshaping Bihar's electoral dynamics around governance experience rather than caste or regional loyalties

Rise of Star-politics in Bihar: Congress to field two Bihar origin film actors to counter the BJP

In a calculated move ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections, the Congress Party is reportedly preparing to field popular Bihari film actors as candidates. Party insiders suggest this is a direct counter to the BJP’s strategy of roping in star celebrity faces to boost its appeal, particularly among younger and rural voters who have strong connections with these personalities. The Congress leadership believes that actors with local roots can resonate deeply with the state’s electorate, combining mass popularity with regional identity to frame a more relatable narrative. This approach aims to tap into emotional and cultural bonds, while also breaking the dominance of BJP’s high-profile campaign machinery. The choice of candidates is expected to be strategic, placing them in constituencies where celebrity influence could decisively swing results. If confirmed, this marks a new phase in Bihar’s political campaigning where entertainment and politics are increasingly intertwined.