Patna after dark: Bihar’s young consider a new political narrative ahead of the 2025 elections, moving from “jungle raj” dread to busy streets

PATNA: The station is bustling with activity as the clock strikes one in the morning at Patna Junction. The sultry night is filled with the metallic clang of wheels, the scream of brakes, and the rolling in of trains. As tired travelers, many of whom are women and children, pour onto the platform and pull bulky bags beneath flickering yellow lights, the announcer’s voice breaks through the cacophony.

The mayhem goes on outside. Drivers of cars and taxis swarm the area around the departure gates, their eyes searching the throng for passengers as they raise their voices in a cacophony of cries and haggled prices.

Manish Kumar, 45, is one of the late-night arrivals; he just got off the LTT Rajgir Express from Mumbai. He negotiates with an auto driver to transport him home, which is around 40 kilometers across the Ganges, while he is standing close to Mahavir Mandir. “Bihar has evolved. As he gets ready to go, he smiles and remarks, “It is no longer the old Bihar.”

Such a sight would have been unimaginable twenty years ago. When night struck, Patna Junction turned into a terrifying place. Instead than taking the risk of venturing outdoors into the infamous “jungle raj,” travelers confined themselves to waiting areas or lay restless on station floors.

That word has plagued Bihar’s politics for over three decades. “Jungle raj,” a term coined by Lalu Prasad and his wife Rabri Devi between 1990 and 2005, came to be used as a shorthand for extortion, kidnappings, and the collapse of law and order.

It was used incessantly by the opposition as a warning that if the RJD were to reclaim power, mayhem may break out again.

“Jungle Rraj” is already resurfacing in speeches as Bihar approaches its 2025 assembly election, but with less vigor.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi brought the word back to life on October 23. “No matter how hard the opposition tries to conceal their wrongdoings, people in Bihar will not forget jungle raj for another century.” The NDA and Nitish ji have put a lot of effort into establishing the rule of law and rescuing Bihar from jungle raj. During the BJP’s “Mera Booth Sabse Mazboot: Yuva Samvaad” campaign, which aims to increase its grassroots presence, he made the comments via audio conference.

Tejashwi Prasad Yadav’s official announcement as the Grand Alliance’s 2025 chief ministerial candidate coincided with the remarks.

The first two-phase polling in decades has generated a lot of conversation. Amit Shah, the union home minister, recently said that the shortened schedule demonstrated an improvement in peace and order as compared to the six stages that were conducted in previous years.

However, the old story may not frighten voters this time around, particularly the 1.6 crore voters between the ages of 18 and 29 who have never seen the jungle raj.
The JD(U) and BJP, who have ruled Bihar for 20 years, are still running for office on the grounds of jungle raj. It indicates that they don’t have much job to talk about,” said Mohammad Jilani, a 28-year-old Patna airport-based vehicle driver. Although there has been an improvement in law and order, crimes continue to occur on a daily basis. A few months back, local thugs robbed an auto driver who was traveling from Patna airport to Lalganj at around 11 p.m. Because the story has an expiration date and no longer appeals to young people, the NDA’s compulsive use of the word might backfire, he said.

Bihar’s crime situation is mixed, according to recent NCRB statistics, with fewer murders occurring despite a rise in total crime. The number of murders decreased steadily from 3,771 in 2003 to 3,034 in 2007 and then remained at that level for ten years until dropping to 2,862 in 2023.

However, deeper fissures cannot be hidden by better law and order. You will see the fractures if you go away from Patna Junction. The status of the public healthcare system is appalling in the countryside and even in Patna. Receiving care in any government hospital without a reference from a politician or an official is quite challenging. Millions of families’ quality of life is impacted by migration. According to Abhishek Prashant, an IT specialist from Gurugram who was riding an auto to his hometown of Danapur, “the state’s duty is not limited to providing a safe passage from the railway station to your home.”
The “jungle raj” accusation, which was once the BJP-JD(U)’s most effective electoral tool, now runs the danger of becoming stale with repetition. Many believe that as people want employment, better education, more robust infrastructure, and administration that keeps up with their goals, the NDA’s dependence on the past has started to seem hollow.

Tejashwi has used the word against his opponents after seeing this change. He accuses the NDA of failing in both administration and law and order, referring to the present state of affairs as “double jungle raj.” Presenting himself as a reformer social justice advocate, Tejashwi is focusing his campaign on healthcare, education, and jobs while downplaying the NDA’s charges as remnants of the past.

The NDA has won elections in the past by reciting the same old Jungle Raj narrative, and they haven’t accomplished anything in the last 20 years. Bihar underwent significant social and economic transformations under Lalu Yadav. Even if the state of law and order is much worse in 2025—murders are happening in broad daylight—the media does not draw attention to this. People want change, hence this time the old narrative won’t assist the NDA,” RJD spokeswoman Chitranjan Gagan said.

Young voters seem to concur. Anurag Kumar, a first-time voter from Patna city, said that if the NDA continues to discuss Jungle Raj, it would seem as like they are looking past rather than ahead, which will not help them win over the young.

The “politics of fear,” according to Tanvir Aeijaz, associate professor of political science at Delhi University’s Ramjas College, is eroding as expectations increase and memories fade. “Electoral gains from fear tales are seldom sustained over time. More and more voters, especially women and young people, want to shift their attention from the language of lawlessness to socioeconomic progress for their families and communities. Political parties would be wise to emphasize the economic aspects of social justice in their campaigns, since Bihar now needs a meaningful discussion on the subject, according to Aeijaz.

Fear is still powerful in the digital era, however. On social media, short movies that reminisce about the anarchy of the 1990s are quite popular, especially among young people who were not even alive when such events took place.
The 22-year-old Ashutosh Shankar, who is studying for the SSC examinations in Patna’s Musallahpur Hat, a neighborhood teeming with coaching facilities, stated, “I have never lived through Jungle Raj, but I know what happened.” “I’ve seen the videos—narratives of car dealerships being plundered and physicians being abducted. My bunch of boys discuss it,” he continued.

On November 6, during the first round of voting, this young voter will cast his ballot for the first time.
Bihar continues to struggle with unemployment, poverty, and corruption, but its once-silent and fearful evenings are now bustling with activity. Boring Road, Station Road, Fraser Road, and Exhibition Road are just a few of the busy avenues in Patna. Automobiles and taxis bargain over late-night rates; chaiwalas and phone repairmen operate beneath neon lights; cars and taxis glide over shiny flyovers.