Muzaffarpur: Rama Nishad, who received a BJP ticket instead of sitting MLA and former minister Ram Surat Rai, has achieved a significant victory in Muzaffarpur’s Aurai seat, concluding weeks of internal strife and uncertainty. The decision to exclude Rai caused dissatisfaction within local party circles, but the intervention of senior leaders helped stabilize the organization before the elections. Much of the unrest was fueled by public discontent towards Nishad’s husband, Ajay Nishad, who had left the BJP during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections after not receiving a ticket. He ran against Congress’s Rajbhushan Chaudhary but faced defeat. However, ahead of the assembly elections, he rejoined the BJP and played a crucial role in securing his wife’s nomination.
Rama Nishad, a seasoned politician, is a five-time MP from Muzaffarpur and has navigated various political affiliations — from alliances with Lalu Prasad Yadav and Nitish Kumar to eventually aligning with the BJP. Before her state-level political career, she was the chairperson of the Hajipur Nagar Parishad, gaining recognition as a down-to-earth and approachable local leader. Her political persona has long been linked to her family’s reputation. Beyond her electoral achievements, she is viewed as an ‘ideal wife and ideal daughter-in-law’, a cultural image that resonates with some of her supporters. Nishad is a member of the Mallah community, which holds substantial electoral power in northern Bihar.
Her ascendancy aligns with the new Nitish Kumar-led government’s social inclusion initiative, aimed at enhancing caste representation in ministerial roles. Her decisive victory has heightened expectations for her induction into the state cabinet. The political revival of the Nishad family, along with Rama Nishad’s impressive margin of victory, highlights the intricate dynamics of Bihar’s electoral landscape, where experience, community identity, and personal credibility are key factors in determining success.