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NEW DELHI: As Bihar gears up for the assembly elections, the ruling National Democratic Alliance and the absorption Mahagathbandhan person cornered each different implicit issues specified arsenic development, migration, and unemployment.
However, it each appears to person boiled down to the perennial taxable of caste-based politics, with each enactment fine-tuning its manifesto and campaigner database to gauge however assorted caste communities volition ballot and however champion to clasp their accepted elector bases.Swearing by Jan Nayak Karpoori Thakur’s bequest of societal justice, a caste survey was conducted successful Bihar successful 2023 to find the nonstop colonisation of each caste, aiming to bolster demands for expanded quotas.The survey recovered that the EBCs represent the largest information astatine 36 per cent, on with the different backward classes astatine 27 per cent, which amounts to 63 per cent of the full 13.07 crore colonisation of the state; together, they represent the socially hefty conception of backward classes. Meanwhile, the “upper caste” groups among Hindus relationship for lone 10.6 per cent.
However, the caste proportions look improbable to beryllium reflected successful the Bihar Vidhan Sabha aft the results, arsenic parties look to beryllium prioritising their accepted elector bases and different factors implicit population-based practice during the screening of candidates.
In the upcoming assembly elections, parties person not lone fielded candidates from ascendant castes to fortify their canvass prospects but person besides calibrated divers caste combinations to antagonistic caste hegemony crossed regions.
How antithetic parties distributed tickets to antithetic castes:
BJP
Under the seat-sharing woody betwixt NDA partners, BJP was allotted 101 seats. Riding connected the ballot banks of the precocious castes, BJP gave 49 tickets (48.5%) to upper-caste candidates. Meanwhile, 34 candidates (33.7%) from the OBC assemblage were fielded, including 6 Yadavs, 15 Vaishyas, 7 Kushwahas, and 2 Kurmis.Only 10 EBC candidates (9.9%) and 12 SC candidates (11.9%) are successful the canvass fray with BJP's symbol.Interestingly, BJP had fielded lone 16 Yadavs successful 2020 assembly elections. The prime of BJP’s replacements for immoderate of its sitting Yadav MLAs points to its caller gameplan: it has gone for a Kushwaha, the astir populous OBC assemblage aft Yadavs; a Nishad, an progressively assertive highly backward classes group; and a Vaishya, the party's accepted supporter, for the Patna Sahib, Aurai and Munger seats, respectively.
JD(U)
Chief curate Nitish Kumar's JD(U) has fielded the astir candidates from the OBC, EBC, and SC communities.Nitish, who has positioned himself arsenic the poster lad of non-Yadav OBCs and EBCs, has fielded 37 candidates from the OBC assemblage (36.6%) and 22 candidates from the EBC assemblage (21.8%).Additionally, 15 candidates from the SC assemblage (14.9%) and 1 campaigner from the ST assemblage (1.0%) are successful the canvass fray.
JD(U) has besides distributed tickets to 22 (21.8%) candidates from the upper-caste assemblage successful the upcoming assembly elections.
Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), which was allotted 29 seats nether the seat-sharing, has fielded 5 candidates each from the Rajput and Yadav castes, and 4 each from Paswan and Bhumihar communities.Meanwhile, Chirag Paswan fielded 1 campaigner each from Brahmin, Teli, Pasi, Sudhi, Rauniyar, Kanu, Rajwar, Dhobi, Kushwaha, Ravidas, and Muslim communities.
HAM(S)
Union curate Jitan Ram Manjhi's Hindustani Awam Morcha has fielded six candidates successful the canvass fray. Out of the six candidates, the enactment has fielded 4 of Manjhi’s relatives and 2 Bhumihar candidates.Meanwhile, Upendra Kushwaha's Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) fielded 1 Bhumihar, 1 Rajput, 3 Kushwahas, and 1 Vaishya candidate.
Catering to its accepted ballot banks of Yadavs and Muslims, the Rashtriya Janata Dal has distributed tickets to 51 Yadavs retired of 143 seats.
The enactment has besides fielded candidates from upper-caste and EBC communities. With Mahagathbandhan parties contesting a full of 255 seats, respective constituencies are witnessing “friendly fights” among confederation partners.In total, the RJD has fielded 18 Kurmi-Kushwaha, 51 Yadavs, 8 Vaishyas, 14 precocious castes, 33 EBCs, 19 SCs, and 18 Muslims successful the upcoming elections.
Contesting connected 61 seats, the Congress has fielded astir one-third—21 candidates—from upper-caste communities.
The party’s lineup besides includes 5 Yadavs, 6 EBCs, 3 Vaishyas, and 12 SC candidates.
CPM-L
CPM-L has enactment guardant 3 Koeris, 2 Yadavs, 1 Rajput, 1 EBC, 6 SCs, and 1 Muslim, aiming to marque inroads successful cardinal constituencies.
Muskesh Sahni's VIP is contesting connected 15 seats with 3 Yadav, 1 Kurmi-Kushwaha, 2 Upper caste, 1 SC and 8 EBC candidates to people circumstantial elector groups.
CPM has fielded 1 Koeri, 1 Yadav, and 1 SC campaigner for the upcoming assembly elections.
CPI has nominated 2 Yadavs, 1 Bhumihar, and 3 SC candidates to contention successful the polls.
IIP has fielded 1 Vaishya and 1 EBC campaigner for the elections.
Muslim practice shrinks sharply
Muslim practice successful the upcoming Bihar assembly elections has seen a noticeable decline, peculiarly wrong the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA). The Janata Dal (United), the lone NDA constituent to tract Muslim candidates — has fixed tickets to conscionable 4 Muslim contenders this time, compared to 14 successful the erstwhile election. The determination is being seen arsenic main curate Nitish Kumar’s acknowledgment that the community’s enactment has mostly shifted towards the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). On the absorption side, RJD has fielded 18 Muslim candidates, staying existent to its accepted Yadav-Muslim base, portion the Congress has allotted tickets to 10 Muslim aspirants.The Election Commission has announced the docket for the Bihar assembly elections.
The 243 assembly seats volition spell to the polls successful 2 phases connected November 6 and November 11, with the counting of votes scheduled to instrumentality spot connected November 14.The full fig of electors successful the last database stands astatine 7.42 crore, portion determination were 7.89 crore electors arsenic of June 24 this year. An Election Commission property merchandise stated that 65 lakh voters were removed from the draught list, and the fig of electors successful the draught database arsenic of August 1, 2025, stood astatine 7.24 crore.In the 2020 assembly election, the BJP contested 110 seats and won 74, securing 19.8% of the ballot share. The Janata Dal (United) contested 115 seats and won 43, with a 15.7% ballot share. The Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) contested 7 seats, winning four, and achieved 0.9% of the ballot share.
