Research Article | Open Access
An Analysis of Liquor Ban Policy in Bihar and its impact on Coalition Politics
Abhishek Verma and Dr Shalini Saxena
Pages: 4913-4919
Abstract
Nitish Kumar had vowed to boycott the utilisation of liquor in the state if reappointed as the Chief Minister in
the state assembly elections of Bihar.One of the points was to control aggressive behaviour of male members at
home, regularly connected with excessive drinking. After he cleared the races and accepted his third successive
term as the head of the State, Kumar declared forbiddance of alcohol in the state.
This decision significantly impacted the state's economy, an undeniable consequence. Apart from this,various
other social aspects surfaced as a challenge for the incumbent government. The liquor prohibition policy
impacted the voting pattern, giving the Chief Minister an upper edge as he ideated the policy and affirmed its
sustainability. Still, the viability of the coalition was also put to the test. One amusing aspect was that the
alliance, known as Mahagathbandhan, which were in place while formulating this Prohibition act, could not
sustain for even the next two years, and the coalition changed. Still, the position of Chief Minister remained
constant. As a result, now the parties who were favouring and opposing the prohibition act got altered, and
seemingly the changed variability is in place with their position following the compliances of the coalition.
The policy has a significant impact on the politics of Bihar, and the effect can be seen on the surface between
the parties in the coalition. Therefore, the effect of the policy on state politics has also been analysed, along with
the consideration of all the factors associated with it.The result will help us analyse the policy's success and its
viability in the future.
Keywords
Prohibition, Coalition, Economy, Voting behaviour, Alcohol, Administration