Is Bihar casting its vote or voting back its castes?

This is wherefore the Bharatiya Janata Party did not hesitate to enactment Nitish Kumar erstwhile helium broke with the expansive confederation and formed a authorities with the enactment up of the 2020 assembly elections. This confederation fought and won the 2020 elections, but aft 24 months, Nitish returned to Lalu Yadav, breaking escaped from the “natural partnership" and returning to the “old family".

Everyone knew past that the tide would crook again. Nitish, who had antecedently felt “suffocated" with BJP, agreed to signifier a authorities with the enactment a fewer months earlier the Lok Sabha elections. He is present a subordinate of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and has stated, “Now I volition not spell anywhere; I volition enactment here." RJD and BJP besides changed their code connected Nitish accordingly.

Shifting allegiances

Bihar is the lone authorities successful caller times wherever the main curate has changed governmental partners 4 times. But wherefore are the RJD and BJP collaborating with Nitish without learning from erstwhile mistakes? The reply is simple. Among Bihar’s astir 76.4 cardinal voters, 8–10% take to beryllium with Nitish successful each situations.

Also read: Bihar CM Nitish Kumar predicts ‘more than 4,000 seats’ for NDA

The crushed down specified loyalty to Nitish is that aft becoming CM for the 2nd clip successful 2005, helium took respective revolutionary initiatives. His authorities gave distant bicycles to girls successful each municipality and village. This brought girls retired of homes to prosecute education, and ushered successful a displacement successful society’s lowest classes. He besides envisioned schemes for providing h2o and energy to each household.

Furthermore, done liquor prohibition successful 2016, helium won the hearts of underprivileged women successful villages. The experimentation has besides been criticized, though, owing to the nonaccomplishment of lives caused by illicit liquor. Liquor smuggling is besides commonplace now. The instrumentality was truthful harsh that radical started calling it “devilish". It was softened to immoderate grade arsenic absorption mounted, but is inactive arsenic hard arsenic tortoiseshell.

The opponents of Nitish reason that his caller displacement has done irreparable harm to his reputation. Some of his caller utterances person besides drawn large outcry. The existent predetermination volition beryllium the astir important trial of people’s attitudes towards him.

Political games

It is indispensable to notation Tejashwi Yadav here. He fought the 2020 elections with the Congress and the Left. In owed course, his Rashtriya Janata Dal became the largest enactment successful the Bihar Assembly. But 5 of his MLAs switched sides and the BJP is again the largest enactment successful the assembly with 85 MLAs.

Also read: Is Bihar CM Nitish Kumar ‘trapped’? Tejashwi Yadav says 'a happening to ponder upon...'

Needless to say, BJP plays governmental games carefully. The enactment understands erstwhile to beryllium affable and erstwhile to wantonness someone. The Paswans are an illustration of this. Ram Vilas Paswan died portion campaigning for the 2020 elections, sparking a powerfulness conflict betwixt his sons Chirag and younger member Pashupati Kumar Paras. The second broke distant his faction of the enactment taking 5 retired of six MPs of Lok Janshakti Party and was appointed to the Union cabinet. This stunned Chirag, who besides calls himself “Modi’s Hanuman". But anterior to the existent elections, the saffron enactment pivoted backmost to Chirag, leaving Paras precocious and dry. Former main curate Jitan Ram Manjhi is among those who person joined and near the NDA. He has been shifting sides passim time, which has been highly beneficial for him.

Caste equations

The BJP has wisely balanced caste equations successful the state. All its candidates mean to transverse the stream holding connected to the hands of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is the astir fashionable person here, too. But INDIA bloc volition springiness NDA a pugnacious fight. In archetypal signifier of elections successful Bihar, votes were polled for 4 seats. However, elector turnout astatine the polls was 5% lower, conscionable arsenic successful different states of the Hindi belt. This has made the NDA much alert.

Also read: 'PM Modi aims to transcend divisive authorities of caste, religion': Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman during Mint Summit

The radical of Bihar are undoubtedly politically sensitive, but they stay obstinate astir voting connected the ground of castes. In specified a situation, volition NDA beryllium capable to enactment its magic successful the state, conscionable arsenic it had done successful 2014 and 2019, oregon volition caste equations go the overriding factor? When viewed from the top, the onshore of Chanakya and Chandragupta appears to beryllium filled with apathetic silence, but the aforesaid questions are resonating successful the minds of each Bihari astatine this time.

Shashi Shekhar is editor-in-chief, Hindustan. Views are personal.