Bihar boasts of one of the most fascinating political histories in India. With Assembly polls underway in the state, The Indian Express brings a series of articles that tell the history of Bihar politics through the tenure of its 23 chief ministers.
When the Congress high command decided to replace Bindeshwari Dubey as
chief minister, several names emerged as probable successors: Assembly
Speaker Shiv Chandra Jha, veteran MP and former Union minister Bhagwat
Jha Azad, ex-Chief Minister Jagannath Mishra, controversial former Union
minister KK Tewary, and Governor Bhishma Narain Singh. The party,
however, preferred to retain a Brahmin chief minister to balance caste
equations, especially since neighbouring Uttar Pradesh had a Rajput CM
in Bir Bahadur Singh. Though there were many contenders, Bhagwat Jha
Azad, then Lok Sabha MP from Bhagalpur, ultimately emerged victorious.
Azad was a seasoned politician, but his selection highlighted the
evolving “unanimous” method of choosing Congress Legislative Party (CLP)
leaders, which began under Indira Gandhi’s influence.
