BJP focuses on caste management as Lok Sabha election enters final phase

New Delhi: As the Lok Sabha election enters the last phase, the BJP leadership is going all out on a damage-control mission to avert possible setback in Bihar due to a caste imbalance in its support.

There are eight parliament seats going for polls in the last phase in Bihar in the Magadh-Shahabad region.In 2019, NDA had won all eight with BJP winning five and ally JDU winning three. During the 2020 assembly elections, though, the RJD-led Grand Alliance performed better than NDA in this region. Now, in 2024, there is little change in the political equation and the ground situation.

However, a clear division on caste lines is shaping up with the Kushwaha community, which used to be a strong support base of JDU leader and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, drifting away from NDA.


The community seems to have developed a distrust for BJP that has not fielded any Kushwaha candidate. This is despite community leader Upendra Kushwaha of Rashtriya Lok Morcha being the NDA candidate from Karakat LS constituency. In fact, according to political observers, Karakat is the root cause of the problems faced by the NDA vis-a-vis Kushwahas.

Former BJP leader and Bhojpuri actor Pawan Singh has filed nomination as an independent candidate from the seat. While BJP has expelled Singh, Rajput community voters seem to be siding with him. Now, there is a feeling among the Kushwaha community that Singh is contesting to defeat Upendra Kushwaha and would later join BJP. The impact of Kushwahas' changing allegiance could be felt on nearby seats of Arrah, Buxar, Jehanabad and Patliputra, observers said.

In Jehanabad, a section of Bhumihar community voters is unhappy with JDU MP Chandreshwar Chandravanshi and is planning to side with either BSP candidate Arun Kumar or independent Ashutosh Kumar, they said. The BJP leadership has sprung into action to minimise the damage from these developments. Its top leaders are now concentrating on the Magadh region.

PM Narendra Modi addressed three rallies in Patliputra, Buxar and Karakat on Saturday. On Friday, home minister Amit Shah addressed two rallies in Arrah and Jehanabad for the BJP and JDU candidates, respectively.

On Sunday, BJP national president JP Nadda is scheduled to address three public meetings in Karakat, Arrah and Nalanda.