Bihar's caste politics to see twists & turns

With the exit of JDU from the NDA camp in Bihar, it may become a difficult task for BJP to stop the consolidation of OBC votes in favour of the new "Mahagathbandhan" which accommodates the RJD, JDU, Congress and the Left parties.

Of the 40 Lok Sabha seats, BJP had won 17 seats which it contested in the 2019 LS polls. BJP enjoys support among the Most Backward Castes (MBC) voters in Bihar. While JDU chief Nitish Kumar was part of the NDA, it was easy for BJP to woo the MBC voters. Kumar has been known for mobilising the MBC and women voters in his party's favour.

Following the BJP's good performance in the 2020 assembly polls, the party started promoting its new faces from the OBC camp like former deputy CMs Tarkirshore Prasad, Renu Devi, state president Sanjay Jaiswal and Union minister of state for home affairs Nityanand Rai as part of its preparation for the 2024 LS polls.


It clearly shows BJP is making attempts to expand its social base among the OBC voters. It's now a new situation for BJP in Bihar after Kumar's return to the Mahagathbandhan fold.

Sources in JDU said the new Mahagathbandhan government will give priority to conducting caste census. "Caste census may become a major political weapon to consolidate the OBC voters in Bihar in favour of the Mahagathbandhan. The new government may try its best to ensure an error-free caste census and it will be completed within a year," a source in the JDU said.

Nitish's return to Mahagathbandhan, which accommodates cadre-based parties like CPI (ML), may help all the alliance partners to widen their social base at the ground level. In the 2020 assembly elections, CPI (ML) performed well in several constituencies of South Bihar. Now, Nitish has reasons to hope for regaining his party's base among the SC voters.