Bihar Caste Survey Data: Nitish government of Bihar has released the caste based census data in the state. In Bihar, OBC, Dalit and tribal communities constitute 84.48 percent while the population of upper caste community is 15.52 percent. On the basis of caste, Yadav is the largest group followed by Ravidas, Koeri, Brahmin and Rajput community. If the political chessboard is laid on caste and religious basis in Bihar, then political equations and alliances can be formed.
Bihar government has released the caste based census report on Monday on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti. On religious basis, Hindu population is highest at 81.99 percent and Muslim population is second at 17.70 percent. Christian, Sikh, Buddhist and Jain communities together are not even half percent. If seen on the basis of caste, Other Backward Classes are 63.13 percent, Scheduled Castes are 19.65 percent, Scheduled Tribes are 1.68 percent, Upper Castes are 15.52 percent. In such a situation, if 63 percent OBC community is divided into two parts, then the extremely backward class is 36.01 percent while the backward class is 27.12 percent.
whose population is so much
At the same time, if we look at caste basis in Bihar, Yadav community is 14.26 percent, which is the highest. After this, Ravidas is 5.2 percent, Koeri 4.2 percent, Brahmin 3.65 percent, Rajput 3.45 percent, Musahar 3.08 percent, Bhumihar 2.86 percent, Sahu caste 2.81 percent, Kurmi 2.8 percent, Mallah 2.60 percent and Bania 2.31 percent. Apart from these 11 castes, the share of remaining 198 castes is 50 percent, in which the population of most of the castes is less than 1 percent.
A new chapter of politics can begin after the caste based census data comes out in Bihar. Caste data has been made public before the assembly elections of five states including Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh and the Lok Sabha elections to be held after seven months, the political meaning of which is also being extracted. Despite all the obstacles, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar remained firm on conducting the caste census in Bihar and on Monday, by presenting the caste data of Bihar, he has started a fresh debate on OBC reservation on one hand and on the other hand it has also given political parties a new way to do politics. Gave a chance. In such a situation, will political parties have special focus on OBC and all the small castes of Dalit community?
The key to power in the hands of the most backward people?
One thing is clear from the caste census report in Bihar that now the political parties will focus on the most backward castes, because they constitute 36 percent of the population. Nitish Kumar had created a strong hold among the backward castes to counter the strong Muslim-Yadav equation of RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav. On the same formula, BJP has made its political hold in UP also by appealing to the most backward castes. In Bihar, 114 castes like blacksmith, potter, carpenter, goldsmith, Kauhar, Mallah come under extremely backward class and the key to power is in their hands. Due to the absence of strong leaders among the extremely backward castes, the votes of these castes get divided among different parties.
Due to alliance with JDU, BJP is eyeing this vote bank. Nitish Kumar and his party have now joined hands with Lalu Yadav's party RJD. The way in the caste census there are 36 percent extremely backward castes. In such a situation, the backward vote bank can prove to be a game changer for Bihar in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Whichever party is successful in including them, will the power of Bihar be in its hands?
Focus will be on small castes
One thing has emerged from the caste census that apart from Yadav, Ravidas, Koeri, Brahmin, Rajput, Musahar, Bhumihar, Sahu, Kurmi, Mallah and Bania, the share of remaining 198 castes is 50 percent, in which the population of most of the castes is less than 1 percent. is less. Small castes, whose population is less, but they become very important as fillers in elections. For example, understand that the potters are just one percent, who cannot win on their own, but when they join with another vote bank, they become a big force. Nitish has built his political base by combining all these small castes, whereas in UP, BJP has also succeeded in re-establishing itself on the same formula. In such a situation, now the political party will focus on around 200 small castes in Bihar. Political parties can now do their politics by putting forward leaders from different castes.
Muslim-Yadav equation will be important
It is clear from the caste based census in Bihar that Yadavs and Muslims play an important role. There are 14 percent Yadavs and 18 percent Muslims, which together is 32 percent. In Bihar, RJD has been doing politics on the basis of Yadav-Muslim equation for a long time, but in the report, the way the population of Muslims is more than the Yadav community, if their representation is compared, then Yadavs are in the upper hand. In 2020, 52 Yadav and 19 Muslim MLAs won the Bihar Assembly elections. In such a situation, the representation of 14 Yadav communities is 21 percent and the representation of 18 percent Muslims is a little more than one percent.
The issue of representation may arise in terms of the population of Muslims, which may prove to be quite suitable for the Muslim politics of Asaduddin Owaisi. Not only this, the way caste statistics are there among Muslims, now the politics of Ashraf versus Pasmanda Muslims can intensify. Pasmanda Muslim politics started from Bihar itself, which Nitish Kumar had greatly expanded and established its hold on and now BJP is giving it a new edge. In this way, the political chessboard can be laid in a new way regarding Muslim and Yadav politics?
Changed pattern of OBC-Savarna politics
After the caste census comes out in Bihar, questions are sure to be raised on upper caste politics. Bhumihar, Brahmin, Rajput and Kayastha together constitute ten percent, but political representation is more than 25 percent. Out of 243 seats in the state, 63 MLAs are from Rajput, Brahmin, Kayastha and Bhumihar communities. In this way, there are 8 Rajput MPs out of 40. Brahmins are 3.65 percent, Rajputs are 3.45 percent, Bhumihars are 2.86 percent and Kayasthas are 0.60 percent, but the representation of all the four castes is much more. These four castes are considered the core vote bank of BJP. Among the upper castes, the largest number belong to the Brahmin class, but their representation is less. In such a situation, if the voting pattern among the upper caste community changes, then the opposition parties, especially RJD, can give an edge to the politics of upper caste versus OBC.
At the same time, there can be a big change in OBC politics also. Statistically, although Yadavs constitute 14 percent, the Kurmi community is less than the Koeri and Mallah communities. In this context, Koeri community can get political importance, Nitish has been successful in creating the Kurmi-Koeri equation, but it has not yet got political importance like the Kurmi community. In this way, political parties can focus on the politics of the seafaring community. After breaking the alliance with Nitish Kumar, BJP has kept its special focus on Koeri votes, for which Samrat Chaudhary was made the state and Upendra Kushwaha has also been taken along. Apart from this, Hari Sahni, who comes from the Mallah community, has been made the Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council. BJP is also trying to woo other OBC castes, but Nitish Kumar is also not leaving any scope for anything.
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