The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Bihar has given a disproportionate share of assembly election tickets to upper-caste Hindu candidates, despite the community constituting only around 15% of the state’s population.
According to the available data, every third NDA candidate belongs to an upper-caste Hindu community.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the largest constituent of the alliance, has fielded 49% of its candidates from upper castes, including 21 Rajputs, 16 Bhumihars, 11 Brahmins, and one Kayastha. In contrast, Other Backward Classes (OBCs) account for 30% of BJP candidates, and Scheduled Castes (SCs) 12%.
Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) (JDU) has given comparatively more representation to backward sections, but upper-caste representation remains significant. Out of its 101 candidates, JDU has fielded 37 OBCs (36%), 22 from the Economically Backward Classes (EBCs) (22%), 22 from upper castes (22%), 15 Scheduled Castes (15%), one Scheduled Tribe (ST), and four Muslim candidates.
The Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) (LJP-R), another NDA partner, has given tickets to 60% upper-caste Hindus and 40% to SCs and STs. Party insiders said most candidates come from the Rajput and Yadav communities, with five each, followed by four Paswans and four Bhumihars. One ticket each has gone to candidates from the Brahmin, Tell, Pasi, Sudhi, Rauniyar, Kanu, Rajwar, Dhohi, Kushwaha, Ravidas, and Muslim communities.
Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) (HAM-S) has fielded four of Manjhi’s relatives and two Bhumihar candidates out of six seats, while Upendra Kushwaha’s Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) has fielded one Bhumihar, one Rajput, three Kushwahas, and one Vaishya candidate.
Across the NDA, more than 35% of all candidates belong to forward castes, over 32% to OBCs, around 15% to EBCs, and the remaining seats to SCs and STs.
This skew stands in sharp contrast to Bihar’s caste composition: 15% upper-caste Hindus, 36% EBCs, 27% OBCs, and 19% Scheduled Castes. Despite forming a small fraction of the state’s population, upper-caste Hindus continue to secure a much larger share of electoral representation within the NDA fold.
