Lessons for Modi, Sonia and Rahul from Bihar

The game has changed and how!

The political components of the United Progressive Alliance and the National Democratic Alliance, and all other parties have a new political spectrum before them.

As everyone has written and debated rightly -- development and governance has finally taken centrestage in underdeveloped India.

The Bihar results will have rippling effects in other areas where negative agendas of caste and communal forces do not allow people-driven agenda of development.

Although it has taken 60 years for Indian voters to reach this stage, it is undoubtedly a great time for Indian democracy.

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Out of 102 BJP candidates who fought the assembly election, 90 won.

The amazing scale of victory brings in the message that Hindutva is not a prerequisite for the BJP's survival post 2010.

This is a fantastic opportunity for the BJP which is unable to shed its anti-minority tag. Nitin Gadkari, the BJP president, was prudent when he told reporters on Wednesday 'Hindutva ka matlab hai vikas aur susashan (The real meaning of Hindutva is development and good governance).

It will take time to decipher how the Muslims in Bihar voted for BJP candidates.

It is obvious that Nitish Kumar successfully convinced the Muslims that his association with the National Democratic Alliance is on his own terms and the BJP in Bihar is a proper Bihari party.

The social engineering of a variety of Dalits and Other Backward Classes done by Nitish Kumar within his agenda of governance overtook all other emotional factors or identity politics.

Modi is doing everything possible to claim the pan-India-leadership of development-oriented politics.

On Wednesday, Nitsh Kumar seriously challenged Modi by winning a more handsome electoral victory than Modi has ever won in Gujarat.

Modi no longer enjoys the TINA (There Is No Alternative) factor in the development model path.

For that matter, even the Congress's Sonia Gandhi-Rahul Gandhi's politics of 'Aam Aadmi' is no longer their monopoly.

Sharad Yadav, the senior Janata Dal-United leader, has said the victory in Bihar is a victory for Socialism and the ideas of the late Socialist icon Ram Manohar Lohia.

Without resorting to the market forces that want Special Economic Zones, land-grabbing industries like automobiles, IT etc, Bihar may move ahead to develop agro-industries.

In the mindscape of Indian voters -- particularly, the highly influential urban television-viewing class -- a new political superstar has emerged.

Currently, Modi is touring the country to invite business leaders to January's Vibrant Gujarat 2011 summit.

Earlier events like these have been a thumping successes, but Modi surely knows that within the NDA, Nitish Kumar has created a niche that will be difficult to challenge.

Without Modi-like charisma, mass communication skills or money power, Nitish Kumar has achieved super electoral success.

The Bihar election will show the way to many stalwarts of regional politics. The Congress will see how Nitish got Muslim votes for the BJP.

The BJP would hate to admit this, but Sushil Kumar Modi, its low-profile and non-confrontational leader in Bihar, will certainly agree that Nitish Kumar's refusal to allow Narendra Modi to campaign in the state paid off well.

Sometimes, in Indian politics hypocrisy brings in positive results.

The Bihar election is a game changer, also because the Congress party's smooth run is over, too soon.

On Wednesday, the Congress lost not only seats in Bihar, but much more. Its efforts to build up the party in the Hindi heartland and promote Rahul Gandhi has received a major setback.

After the 2009 Lok Sabha election it seemed that the Congress would concentrate on grassroots politics and strengthen its nuts and bolts in the districts and talukas of the country.

But the resounding message from the poor voters of Bihar is that the politics of symbolism that Rahul Gandhi represents will not work.

In fact, Bihar's victory has a bigger message for the Congress than any other Indian political party.

The weaknesses of the centralised power structure around Sonia and Rahul Gandhi have been exposed like never before in the four assembly seats their party has won in Bihar.

Who really cares for the defeat of Lalu Prasad Yadav and Ram Vilas Paswan?

Nitish Kumar has brutally hit hard Sonia and Rahul Gandhi's pro-Aam Aadmi political maneuverings of the last six years.

Without eating in the decrepit homes of Mahadalits, extremely backward castes and women voters, Nitish has got their votes in millions.

Without Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at his side, Nitish Kumar is giving Bihar the economic growth rate that Narendra Modi is providing in Gujarat. Truly, no mean achievement.