The 'big brother' act: How BJP scripted Maharashtra playbook in Bihar

NEW DELHI: The "josh" is high for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as Bihar is all set to get its chief minister from the saffron party. Samrat Choudhary was elected the leader of the NDA legislative party, paving the way for his becoming the first BJP CM of Bihar.

And with this, the BJP once again has delivered a masterclass on "how to own the alliance."Choudhary, who is expected to take the oath tomorrow, takes over the top post from Nitish Kumar, who resigned earlier in the day. It definitely is a high moment for the BJP, which has been trying to keep the alliance smooth and yet have the upper hand. The announcement also feels like a repeat of what happened in Maharashtra when Devendra Fadnavis was reinstated as the chief minister of the state.

The 'big brother'

For most of the 2000s, the BJP was the quieter partner in Bihar, drawing strength from Nitish Kumar’s credibility and caste coalition. In 2005 and again in 2010, it was Nitish who led from the front, with JD(U) consistently getting more seats than the BJP.However, this balance began to crack in 2014. Nitish's decision to walk out of the NDA over Narendra Modi as the prime ministerial candidate backfired badly. Fighting separately, JD(U) was reduced to just 2 Lok Sabha seats and Nitish Kumar resigned from the CM post, taking the moral responsibility.

In the 2015 assembly elections, the BJP had the largest vote share of 25% and 53 seats, but still fell short of power as the Mahagathbandhan (RJD - 80; JD(U) - 71) stitched together a stronger social coalition. When Nitish returned to the NDA in 2017, the BJP was no longer the same player. By 2020, it had clearly moved ahead within the alliance, winning significantly more seats than JD(U). The party got 74 seats and JD(U) got 43 seats.

Though Nitish remained the CM, the equation within the alliance had shifted.By 2025, the BJP had completely flipped the script. The NDA contested the assembly elections with Nitish Kumar as its CM face. However, the BJP with 89 seats, once again emerged as the bigger partner than the JD(U) that got 85 seats. While Nitish Kumar remained the CM, the BJP took control over key portfolios like Home. And finally within a year, managed to give Bihar its first BJP CM with Samrat Choudhary.

The return of Fadnavis

Before Bihar, it was Maharashtra where BJP applied the similar formula. Here, the BJP showed how alliances could be reworked from within, turning partners into dependents and reclaiming major control without breaking the coalition.There was a time when Devendra Fadnavis had to step down and Eknath Shinde was made the CM as the Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) split and came together with the BJP. However, in the 2024 assembly elections, the BJP emerged as the single largest party in the ruling Mahayuti with 132 of 288 seats. Backed by stronger numbers, the BJP pushed for leadership change, and on December 5, 2024, Fadnavis took oath as CM, with Shinde moving to the deputy CM role.Once back at the helm, the BJP moved to centralise power. Key portfolios like home, finance and law were retained by the CMO, reducing the operational space for both Shinde and Ajit Pawar, who also served as deputy CM.

The alliance remained intact, but its internal balance shifted decisively. After Ajit Pawar's death his wife Sunetra Pawar was given his post in the Maharashtra cabinet. The BJP’s electoral strength further cemented its position. In the January 2026 municipal elections, it performed strongly across urban centres, including Mumbai.In both Bihar and Maharashtra, the BJP's rise within alliances has shown how to do it without breaking the coalition. By expanding its own voter base while narrowing the space for its partners, the BJP has shown that alliances can be a pathway to dominance, not compromise.