Nitish Kumar recalibrates caste math ahead of Bihar polls

With the Bihar assembly elections approaching, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is reshuffling key posts to fine-tune the caste equations crucial to his strategy.

In recent days, he appointed former JDU MP Gulam Rasool Balyawi as chairman of the Minority Commission - a move seen as outreach to Muslim voters displeased with the party's support for the Waqf Bill. Balyawi, a vocal critic of the bill, is joined by several other minority leaders on the panel.

To appeal to other caste blocs, Kumar named BJP's Mahachandra Prasad as head of the Upper Caste Commission and JDU's Rajeev Ranjan as vice president. The post had been lying vacant for years. He also appointed BJP's Shailendra Kumar as chief of the Tribal Commission, again filling long-pending vacancies. These appointments signal Kumar's intent to consolidate social support across the board as elections near.