TY - BOOK AU - Singh, Santosh. TI - Ruled or Misruled: The Story and Destiny of Bihar SN - 9789385436307 U1 - 248 SIN 23 PY - 2015/// CY - New Delhi PB - Bloomsbury Publishing India Pvt. Ltd. KW - Bihar (India)—Politics and government KW - Democracy—India KW - Political leadership—India KW - Politicians—India—Biography N2 - Ruled or Misruled: The Story and Destiny of Bihar is a detailed account of Bihar's political evolution after Independence, with particular emphasis on the dramatic changes that occurred after 1990. Written by journalist Santosh Singh, the book examines the rise of regional politics, the decline of Congress dominance, and the emergence of influential leaders such as Laloo Prasad Yadav, Nitish Kumar, Ram Vilas Paswan, and Jitan Ram Manjhi. Drawing on years of political reporting, interviews, and firsthand observations, the author provides an insider's perspective on the personalities, alliances, and conflicts that shaped the state's political history. The narrative explores major themes including caste politics, social justice, governance, development, electoral strategies, coalition politics, corruption, and administrative reforms. It discusses the implementation of the Mandal Commission recommendations, the transformation of backward caste politics, the rivalry between Nitish Kumar and Laloo Prasad Yadav, the BJP–JD(U) alliance and its breakup, and the political realignments that followed. The book also highlights the broader relationship between regional politics and national political developments. Combining political history with investigative journalism, the work offers valuable insights into governance, leadership, democratic institutions, and the socio-economic transformation of Bihar. It is an important resource for students and researchers of political science, public administration, journalism, sociology, and modern Indian history ER -