In Bihar, Caste Rules The Roost With 17 Of 40 Seats Won By Same Caste Since 2009

New Delhi: Bihar has always been a politically crucial state. With the Lok Sabha Elections fervour gripping the nation, political parties are aiming to woo the voters with different promises. While the BJP-led by Narendra Modi is seeking votes by promising development and reminding people of the 'Jungle Raaj', the opposition RJD-Congress has accused the BJP of unemployment and inflation. While Bihar gave 39 seats to the NDA in 2019, the ruling alliance won 31 seats in 2014. However, the political equations in Bihar are not as simple as it appears. In Bihar, caste rules the roost of politics.

Since 2009, the state has elected candidates from the same caste background on 17 out of 40 seats. Among these, eight seats were won by candidates from upper castes, including  Kayasthas, Rajputs, Bhumihars and Brahmins.

For the past three elections, Rajput candidates have won from Maharajganj, Vaishali, Aurangabad, and Arrah Lok Sabha Seats of Bihar. In Maharajganj, Umashankar Singh of the RJD won in 2009, while Janardhan Singh Sigriwal of the BJP clinched victories in 2014 and 2019 again; Sigriwal is going to contest for the third time in the coming general election. The Vaishali seat was secured by Raghuvansh Prasad Singh of the RJD in 2009, followed by Rama Kishore Singh and Veena Devi of the BJP's ally LJP in 2014 and 2019, respectively. Devi ones again going to contest the election on the NDA ticket. For the Arrah Lok Lok seat, Mina Singh of the JD(U) emerged victorious in 2009, and since 2014, bureaucrat-turned-politician R K Singh of the BJP has been continuously representing the seat and going to contest for the third time.

The Aurangabad seat also known as Bihar’s Chittorgarh, this seat was earlier connected with the family of prominent Rajput leader and former Bihar Chief Minister Satyendra Narayan Sinha, he firstly won the seat in 1952, and maintained his victory in 1952, 1971, and 1977, 1980 and 1984, later his daughter-in-law Shyama Sinha won it in 1999 and his son and former Delhi Police Commissioner Nikhil Kumar earn the victory in 2004. Since 2009, the Aurangabad constituency has been represented by Sushil Singh.

Over the past three decades, Bhumihars have emerged victorious in the Nawada and Munger constituencies. In Nawada, Bhola Singh of the BJP secured a win in 2009, followed by Giriraj Singh of the BJP in 2014, and LJP's Chandan Singh in 2019. This time the NDA has given a ticket to BJP's Bhumihar leader Vivek Thakur. In Munger, Lalan Singh of the JD(U) won in 2009, while Veena Devi of the LJP clinched victory in 2014. In 2019, Lalan Singh reclaimed the seat and again became a NDA candidate. For the Darbhanga constituency Bihar, Brahmin candidate Kirti Azad from the BJP received victory in 2009 and 2014, this victory was followed by BJP leader Gopalji Thakur in 2019. Thakur is now again seeking re-election from the seat.

For the Patna Sahib Lok Sabha seat of Bihar, upper-caste Kayasthas have dominated, earlier Shatrughan Sinha received a victory from BJP ticket in 2009 and 2014, while the seat was followed by former law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad in 2019 and again he is nominated from the Patna Sahib constituency to contest the current election.

Out of the 17 seats consistently won by candidates from a single caste since 2009, OBCs Yadavs, which is the largest caste group in the state constituting 14% of the population according to recent caste surveys, have secured victories in three lok sabha seats including Madhepura, Madhubani, and Pataliputra.

For the Madhepura seat, Sharad Yadav of the JD(U) won in 2009, followed by Pappu Yadav of the RJD in 2014, and he later joined the JD(U). In the 2019 election, Dinesh Chandra Yadav of the JD(U) secured the seat.

The Madhubani seat was won by Hukumdev Narayan Yadav of the BJP in 2009 and 2014, and his son Ashok in 2019. Again he is fielded by the BJP from this seat. However, Pataliputra was previously represented by Ranjan Yadav of the JD(U) after defeating Lalu in 2009, but since has been represented by BJP leader Ram Kripal Yadav, who defeated Lalu's eldest daughter Misa Bharti in twice Lok Sabha polls in 2014 and 2019.

The Nalanda Lok Sabha seat is also known as Kurmistan because of the significant OBC Kurmi population. This seat was secured by JD(U) supremo and Bihar's CM Nitish Kumar in 2004. Since then, the party's Kaushlendra Kumar has won the seat in three consecutive elections and is once again the nominee.

The OBC-Koeris also called Kushwahas, have occupied the Karakat seat since 2009, Mahabati Singh won the seat in 2009 and 2019 as JD(U) candidate, while Rashtriya Lok Morcha chief Upendra Kushwaha won in 2014 with his now-dissolved Rashtriya Lok Samta Party. Kushwaha is nominated on the NDA ticket in upcoming polls.

Since 2009, West Chanparan's seat is been continuously won by BJP candidate Sanjay Jaiswal, he belongs to the OBC Jaishwal community, which is a sub-cast under Banias or Vaishya. Jaishwal again seeking a vote for the fourth term this time. 

For the Muzaffarpur constituency, the EBC Mallahs also known as Nishads have been dominant since 2009, the JD(U) leader Jainarayan Nishad won the seat, later followed by his son and BJP candidate Ajay Nishad in the 2014 and 2019 general elections. Now Ajay switched to Congress after being denied from BJP ticket. The time saffron party has nominated  Raj Bhushan Nishad to contest from Muzaffarpur.

Bihar's Samastipur is an SC reserved seat, in 2009 the  JD(U)’s Maheshwar Hazari won, and later the LJP’s Ramchandra Paswan won in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. After Ramchandra’s death, his son Prince Raj won the seat in 2019. This time LJP has given a ticket to Sambhavi Choudhary, daughter of JD(U) Minister Ashok Kumar Choudhary.

The other SC reserve seat of Gaya, a Manjhi cast leader has bagged victory since 2009. BJP’s Hari Manjhi won the seat in 2009 and 2014, later it was bagged by JD(U) candidate Vijay Kumar Manjhi in 2019. In the coming general election, NDA candidate and former Bihar CM Jitan Ram Manjhi is going to contest from the seat on the ticket of the Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular), a party founded by him.