Bihar results: New JD(U) posters hail Nitish Kumar with 'Tiger is still alive' slogan

As the NDA appeared to register a landslide victory in Bihar on Friday (November 14), freshly minted posters of Nitish Kumar began appearing across the city, leaving no ambiguity—according to the JD(U)—that he remains Bihar's central axis of power.

Outside the Chief Minister's residence, a massive poster of Nitish Kumar standing beside a tiger, with the tagline 'tiger abhi zinda hai' (the tiger is still alive), became the first showstopper on the morning of the election results day. The imagery was not subtle. It was aimed at setting the tone before the numbers settled.

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Through the day, more posters sprouted across arterial stretches, roundabouts, party offices, and neighbourhood corners, as though Patna itself had been cast in a JD(U) production.

'There is only one star'

One declared, "In our Bihar, there is only one star; every time, it is Nitish Kumar". The poster featured a towering image of Nitish, with a smaller photograph of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the backdrop. Another went even further, stating simply, "Bihar means Nitish Kumar", a sweeping assertion that sought to blur the line between the individual and the state's identity.

"Only trends have emerged, but the message is clear: Nitish Kumar is the real tiger of politics," a worker said, grinning into a TV camera, while at several spots, groups of JD(U) workers stood posing beside the posters as though unveiling a premature victory banner.

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"Hamaare Bihar mein ek star (loosely translated to In our Bihar, there is a star), not just praise. It is a reminder that whatever the arithmetic at the Centre, Bihar's leadership mantle is that of Nitish ji," a JD(U) worker told a TV channel.

Who is NDA's CM face?

Even though the BJP was leading in more seats than the JD(U), the posters doubled as a calibrated counter to weeks of speculation, fanned by the Mahagathbandhan and pockets of political observers that the BJP might project a new CM face after the results.

Both parties had publicly dismissed the buzz, but the visuals on Friday morning appeared crafted to silence it once and for all.

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The political commentators also said the visual grammar made the JD(U)'s message crystal clear: in the state's political theatre, Nitish Kumar is not just the protagonist, he is the plot.

For the JD(U) cadre, the posters worked as reassurance that Nitish was firmly in command, and assertion that within the NDA, hierarchy had its own logic, and Kumar remained its senior-most partner in Bihar.

NDA leads

By late afternoon, as the NDA surged ahead in 197 seats and the Mahagathbandhan lagged at 40, the posters took on sharper meaning.

Within the NDA, the BJP led in 90 seats, ahead of the JD(U)'s 79. The LJP (Ram Vilas) added 20 leads and the HAM(S) and RLM had four each.

On the other side, the Mahagathbandhan's figures were anchored by the RJD's 30, followed by Congress (five), CPI(ML) Liberation (four), and CPI(M) (one).

Meanwhile, the AIMIM was ahead in five seats and the BSP in one.

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When asked about the 'tiger zinda hai' posters surfacing outside Nitish's residence, BJP state president Dilip Jaiswal brushed aside the episode with a smile.

"His stature is bigger than a tiger. Much bigger," JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar attributed the NDA's strong early leads to welfare schemes prioritised under Kumar's leadership.

"Nitish Kumar ji will remain the Chief Minister as long as he wishes. His will, the people's aspiration, and the NDA's resolve are aligned," he added.