2024-04-20 10:23:48
New Delhi: Are political parties fighting the Lok Sabha elections in a different way this time in Bihar? After all, why are the old equations not visible this time as they were in the earlier elections? What has been done by BJP this time in Bihar that the opposition parties, especially RJD, are not showing the same emphasis on caste census as before? This time too, there is not just M and Y equations in RJD’s strategy. The first phase of voting is on April 19 and if we look at the election campaigning and distribution of tickets so far, the picture is clear that even though the election is for Lok Sabha, there is a different equation for each seat, especially the caste equation. This time in Bihar, caste is not included in the broader framework of backward versus forward as was understood in Bihar till recently. From the pattern that is visible, it seems that the caste equation is working in a different manner from one constituency to another.
Which path is NDA on in Bihar?
BJP’s efforts to break the caste myth in Bihar had started a decade ago. The BJP, realizing its potential to break traditional caste hegemony, began its outreach to individual groups a decade ago. If BJP state president and deputy CM Samrat Chaudhary as well as BJP ally Upendra Kushwaha represent both the Kushwahas, the Kurmis have been brought under one umbrella through JD(U)’s Nitish Kumar. Dusadh caste is represented by LJP (Ram Vilas) leader Chirag Paswan while Musahars are represented by NDA ally and former Bihar CM Jitan Ram Manjhi.
RJD no longer depends only on MY
For a long time, Lalu Yadav’s party RJD in Bihar has been going with only two groups, Muslims and Yadavs. Now call it compulsion of RJD or its strategy after which there has been a change in MY equation. The changed politics of Bihar can also be understood from this statement of Tejashwi. Tejashwi Yadav said a few days ago that some people say that RJD is the party of MY (Muslim-Yadav). I say that along with MY, RJD is also the party of BAAP. Tejashwi Yadav said that BAAP means Bahujan, A means forward (forward caste), A means half the population (women), and P means poor.
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Both have their eyes on the same side, who will get success?
Tejashwi now says that we are A to Z party. The entry of Mukesh Sahni’s Vikassheel Insaan Party and its base among the Mallahs into the India alliance is a bonus, as is the OBC and Dalit support of RJD’s ally CPI (ML). The only national leader who comes into discussion amid these caste calculations is Modi. RJD’s candidate list also reflects its new approach, with several names from caste groups that the BJP is eyeing. For example, out of the 23 seats the party is contesting, it has fielded candidates from the Kushwaha caste on four.
Will Manjhi’s boat sail this time?
RJD’s Kushwaha candidates in the first phase are Abhay Kumar Kushwaha in Aurangabad and Shravan Kushwaha in Nawada. From Gaya, a reserved seat, RJD has fielded Kumar Sarvjit Paswan in the hope that he will pull some Paswan votes towards RJD and add it to the MY equation. Manjhi has lost the last three Lok Sabha elections from Gaya. This time, he hopes to add to the BJP’s traditional upper caste votes as well as a major chunk of his Musahar votes and Paswan votes.
Why is BJP in trouble here?
Paswans and Musahars are believed to be the two largest groups of Dalits in Gaya, accounting for about 30% of the population. Bihar’s fourth seat, Aurangabad, has voting on April 19, where RJD has made the fight interesting. Earlier it was being seen as an easy seat for BJP, it has fielded its three-time MP Sushil Kumar Singh. Sushil Singh is a Rajput while Abhay Kumar Kushwaha is from RJD. Apart from Yadavs, Kushwahas also have a significant presence, although the number of Rajput voters is higher. Starting with the first phase, this battle will become more interesting in the subsequent phases.