Elections in Bihar are still about a year away, but the parties have already started creating the atmosphere. In this series, BJP MP from Begusarai and Union Minister Giriraj Singh is going to take out a 'Hindu Swabhiman Yatra'. There is a political uproar in the state regarding this yatra. Such an uproar that the BJP has distanced itself from it. Still, the ally JDU is on the offensive. Opposition RJD and other parties will definitely be on the offensive.

Giriraj's 'Hindu Swabhiman Yatra' will start from Bhagalpur on 18 October and will reach Katihar on the 19th, Purnia on the 20th, Araria on the 21st and Kishanganj on the 22nd. Bhagalpur is the city where the horrific communal riots of 1989 took place. This riot also broke out during a BJP yatra. This yatra was taken out for the purpose of performing Shila Pujan for Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.

Probably this is the reason why Giriraj Singh has chosen Bhagalpur to start his journey. Kishanganj, which he has chosen as the last stop of his journey, is the district with the highest Muslim population in Bihar. This clearly explains the purpose of Giriraj's journey. This is the reason why BJP's ally JDU is against this journey. But, Giriraj Singh is not bothered by this.

Giriraj Singh has made his identity as a staunch Hindu leader. He keeps on making statements targeting Muslims. He has made this the USP of his politics. His continuous victory in Begusarai despite the anti-incumbency wave in the Lok Sabha elections held a few months ago has further strengthened his belief that he likes this kind of politics. But, now that he is openly expanding his politics outside Begusarai, JDU has become worried.

JDU's compulsion
JDU does not want to be affected by BJP's image of being a staunch Hindutva party. In 2014, Nitish Kumar broke ties with NDA on this basis in protest against BJP declaring Narendra Modi as its prime ministerial candidate. Since then, he has joined and broken ties with the BJP many times, but now even the option of breaking ties is not easy for him.

Nitish Kumar is trying his best to change his image of 'Paltu Ram'. He is repeatedly assuring people that he will not turn back now. On 16 October, in Barari (Katihar), he also repeated this assurance to the people and said that he had mistakenly gone here and there twice, but he would never do it again. Let us tell you that Katihar is also a stop on Giriraj Singh's Hindu Swabhiman Yatra.

In such a situation, JDU may have to suffer a huge political loss by breaking ties with BJP. Also, Nitish Kumar will have to personally suffer the consequences. If he does this in the last phase of his political life, it will become impossible for him to remove the label of 'Paltu Ram'.

BJP's move
To avoid JDU's displeasure and to not give the opposition a new issue to attack, the BJP has distanced itself from Giriraj Singh's yatra. Bihar BJP state president Pradeep Jaiswal said that he has no information about this yatra. He called it Giriraj's personal yatra and said that whoever will participate in it will do so in his personal capacity.

Giriraj Singh is a minister at the centre and the BJP is in power in Bihar as well as at the centre. In such a situation
, the opposition parties will corner the BJP at the central level on this yatra of Giriraj Singh. But the BJP has killed two birds with one stone by distancing itself from the Hindu Swabhiman Yatra. While it has tried to protect itself from the possible attack of the opposition, its political interests are also being served.

What should have happened was that the BJP should have stopped Giriraj Singh from taking out the yatra. But, Bihar BJP says that it does not know anything about the yatra and neither will it stop anyone from participating in this yatra. BJP's distancing itself from Giriraj Singh's Hindu Swabhiman Yatra in this manner can only be called its cunning move.

BJP's desire - to form a government on its own in Bihar
If we look at the past, many regional parties that formed alliances with the BJP have suffered a lot in the future. There are many such examples like Shiv Sena in Maharashtra, Akali Dal in Punjab, PDP in Jammu and Kashmir etc.

In Bihar too, the BJP wants to be in a position to form the government on its own in the 2025 assembly elections. Many big leaders of the BJP have also openly declared this intention. In such a situation, the party is trying to strengthen the support of such voters by reinforcing its staunch Hindu image. If this happens, JDU will suffer the most.

Will Giriraj's ticket from Delhi be cancelled?
Giriraj Singh has clearly said that the purpose of his visit is to 'make Hindus and Sanatanis understand that if you divide, you will be divided'. One of the purposes of the BJP behind this visit is to create an aggressive face in Bihar. Giriraj Singh fits the bill for this image. He is a well-known name due to his continuous tenure as a minister at the Centre. He already has an image of a radical Hindu leader. He has been a minister continuously in the Modi government, so BJP may be preparing the ground to field him in Bihar before the Bihar assembly elections.

PK's challenge
Prashant Kishore can also be a potential challenge for all parties in the upcoming assembly elections. On October 2, he has announced to formation of his new party and field candidates in the 2025 assembly elections. It is not yet clear how big a challenge his announcement will pose for the BJP, JDU, RJD, and Congress. However, Prashant Kishore's Jan Suraj Party is fielding candidates in the by-elections to be held on four seats. Their results can indicate how big a challenge Prashant Kishore can pose to the old parties in the year 2025. Whether the challenge is small or big, all parties will have to think about its counter. In this regard also, Giriraj Singh's Hindu Swabhiman Yatra can be considered important for the BJP.