But, BJP can have no walk-over as it could do in Maharashtra or Haryana and indeed in Bihar faces a formidable Grand Alliance of JD(U), RJD and the Congress led by Chief Minister Mr Nitish Kumar, who has taken Mr Modi head-on. With his own solid record of development and welfare policies, Mr Kumar remains fairly popular across the state and does not suffer from anti-incumbency factor.

High stakes are thus involved in the November 8 outcome of the ongoing Bihar Assembly poll, with possible ramifications on the national scene. Mr Modi cannot be unaware of spreading disenchantment among the people who voted for him in 2014 for the poor outcomes on his poll promises, especially jobs and other tangibles or getting hold of black money.

If BJP loses the election, the weakened Congress and other opposition parties would begin to see signs of political resurgence. If otherwise, we may be in for even tougher times.

The Bihar election takes place against the murky background of a rise in social tensions and communal violence in the country and a growing climate of intolerance and recurring threats to civil rights, held out by the rightist outfits drawing inspiration from the Sangh Parivar. Prime Minister Modi has remained a mute witness for long spells, unmoved even by the killings of three renowned writers and rationalists over the last few months.

His calculations must be that any references to these unsavoury developments might lower the “clean image” he has assiduously sought to create for himself and his Government . Whatever his brand of “maximum governance”, Mr. Modi cannot ignore actions of extreme right-wing elements owing allegiance to the Sangh Parivar taking law into their own hands to endanger lives to enforce moral discipline. These wings just do not admit the right to dissent.

Undoubtedly, the states are primarily concerned with enforcing law and order in their jurisdictions. But Mr Modi’s discreet silence over episodes that are arousing nation-wide concerns does not credit a person of his national stature. Apart from the killings of three leading writers, Mr Modi’s silence also extended to the Dadri lynching of a Muslim on rumours of his eating beef.

In the midst of hectic campaigning in Bihar, Prime Minister was forced to take note of the Dadri lynching, indirectly though, after President Pranab Mukherjee had reminded the nation of India’s “core values of diversity, tolerance and plurality”, at a function in Rashtrapati Bhavan. For his part, Mr Modi urged Hindus and Muslims not to fight each other but poverty.

While describing the Dadri incident as “saddening and unfortunate”, Mr Modi distanced the Centre from such happenings. Mr Modi has also remained tight-lipped on scores of writers and thinkers returning their Sahitya Academy and other awards, after the killing of three rationalists in recent months, endangering the right to dissent and the spirit of creativity and freedom.

Mr Modi launched his trade-mark campaigning in Bihar in July itself with an attack on “jungle raj” castigating leaders of the Grand Alliance led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar (JD-U), whose own ten-year record in power, is regarded as unexceptional. The Prime Minister has borne the brunt of the party’s campaign, even taking the battle down to block-levels at some places, so much so that it was tending to become a Modi-versus-Nitish Kumar duel, a BJP Chief Ministerial candidate lacking.

In the light of emerging trends in the first two phases of the five-stage polling, perhaps not as comforting as hoped, state BJP leaders seemed to be having second thoughts on election strategy. Had they “over-projected” the Prime Minister in a state election in the midst of his national responsibilities?

Contentious issues of reservation and castes are dominant in Bihar and a statement of the top RSS leader calling for reconsideration on reservation may have caused some harm, which the Grand Alliance has exploited. Mr Modi himself later rushed to clarify that his Government was not giving up reservation and asking people not to believe any rumours spread by political rivals.

The BJP camp in Patna has since set about re-strategising for the next stages of the campaign. A few planned rallies arranged for Mr Modi were readjusted for him to make a three-day tour after the festival season, on October 25, 26 and 27. The third phase of poll on October 28 and the two more later comprise critical areas before polling is wound up on November 5. Counting is fixed for November 8.

Whatever is the outcome of Bihar poll, Mr Modi will at some time have to become more accountable to the nation and accord Parliament its primacy in our constitutional framework. Where it suits him politically, Mr Modi has been forthcoming to talk of the emergency of 1975 and of the need to draw the lesson therefrom, namely, safeguarding of “democratic values”.

At the same time, he must make it clear beyond doubt his Government’s own commitment to fundamental values of tolerance and plurality embedded in our constitution but cynically belittled in political statements of several BJP Ministers. Neither good governance nor “achhe din” seem closer to expectations. (IPA Service)