From Ballots to Ballads: How RJD’s Bhojpuri Song Strategy Backfired in Bihar

Paromita Das

New Delhi, 25th November: Politics in Bihar has more often than not been high-stakes drama, but this election season, it turned musical-quite literally. The run-up to the Bihar Assembly elections saw the political temperature soar with speeches and rallies, and the air reverberating with Bhojpuri beats across towns and villages. Ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections, dozens of singers, most of them Rashtriya Janata Dal supporters, released songs glorifying the party and its leaders. These catchy numbers, however, carried a darker undertone-lyrics filled with violence, caste pride, and nostalgia for a time Bihar thought it had left behind: the infamous jungle raj.

Now, after a stinging defeat at the polls, the RJD has found itself embroiled in a controversy of its own making. Ironically, the songs meant to energize supporters and revive loyalty to the Lalu legacy may have reminded voters why they had once turned away from it.

When Music Becomes a Political Weapon

In Bharat, music and politics have long shared an uneasy but inseparable relationship. But the 2025 Bihar election took it to a new level. Songs like “Marab Sixer Ke, Chah Goli Chhati Mein”-which roughly translates to “I’ll shoot six bullets into the chest”-became viral campaign anthems. While some of these songs were independently produced, many were openly used in RJD gatherings and shared widely by party supporters on social media.

The lyrics might have been catchy, but they were unmistakably provocative. Guns, kidnapping, caste superiority-the songs glorified all this and perpetuated a narrative of power and dominance associated with the RJD’s past rule. Some even gave voters the opportunity to become “dons” or “bahubalis” in case the party came back to power. Far from any confidence-inspiring effect, these songs reignited deep-seated fears of Bihar slipping back into an era of lawlessness.

Aftermath: RJD turns against its own supporters

The RJD leadership appears to have realized its mistake in the aftermath of the electoral defeat. Acting on the orders of Tejashwi Yadav, the party has issued legal notices reportedly to several Bhojpuri singers-12 to 32, according to various reports – accusing them of using the party’s name, flag, and leader images without prior permission.

The legal notices demand proof of permission, failing which the party threatens FIRs and defamation suits. RJD spokesperson Priyanka Bharti said that the party is particularly targeting the songs that spread casteism or demean communities. She further alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party had a hand in resurfacing these songs to defame RJD, claiming that some of the singers had links with the BJP.

However, this defense does not withstand scrutiny. Most of the artists- including Tuntun Yadav, who termed RJD “my party, and actor Khesari Lal Yadav, an RJD candidate from Chhapra-were RJD supporters themselves. Several others, such as Deepak Raj Yadav and Gandhi Lal Yadav, have a history of releasing songs in praise of RJD leaders.

Echoes of the Past: The Return of the ‘Jungle Raj’ Fear

To understand the backlash, one has to look back at Bihar’s political history. The term “jungle raj” became synonymous with the 15-year rule of Lalu Prasad Yadav and Rabri Devi—a period marked by rising crime, political patronage, and widespread corruption. For many Biharis, especially from the lower and middle classes, that era represented chaos and fear.

And then, the RJD’s campaign songs resurrected that imagery-of its own volition or not is beside the point-but it glorified the very lawlessness that had cost it power in 2005. When Prime Minister Narendra Modi only mentioned these songs while campaigning and made fun of lines about guns and violence, it almost amplified a perception about RJD being out of tune with the aspirations of new development-oriented Bihar.

Cultural Power and Political Missteps

Bhojpuri music is immensely influential across Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh, shaping public mood and reaching deep into rural consciousness, far beyond what campaign speeches can achieve. The RJD’s mistake was to misjudge the tone of that cultural tool.

Rather than deploying songs that projected a modern, inclusive image of his party, these songs echoed a regressive and caste-centric past. For many young voters, who now prized jobs, education, and security, the lyrics represented what they hoped they could leave behind.

The defeat and the subsequent distancing of the party from these songs reflect a belated recognition of this miscalculation. But the damage was done. In trying to romantise its past, RJD alienated the very constituency it needed most-the youth.

The Perils of Nostalgic Politics

The RJD’s predicament provides a broader lesson for Bharatiya politics: nostalgia, while this may appeal to the sentiments of people, rarely wins elections-especially when the past being remembered is one filled with pain. Bihar’s electorate has changed, and with it, political messaging needs to evolve.

But the attempt at rebranding old symbols of power as pride turned out to be a misfire. What RJD needed was a narrative of reform and renewal, not regression. Blaming opponents or supporters after the fact cannot mask the reality that the party simply failed to read the public sentiment right.

Tejashwi Yadav, who has spoken several times of steering the RJD away from the shadows of jungle raj, now faces the task of proving that promise through actions and symbolism that speak to a modern electorate.

A Lesson in Sound and Strategy

This saga of RJD’s Bhojpuri songs acts like a cautionary tale in political communication. While music is powerful, the emotional resonance it evokes can boomerang if used in the wrong manner. While attempting to evoke passion, the RJD stirred memories of fear.

While the party sends legal notices to its own supporters and blames opponents for amplifying their mistakes, it is clearly not about copyright or permission-it’s about perception.

If the politics of Bihar is changing, the RJD too needs to learn a new tune. The next election may not be about who sings the loudest but about who listens best.