Bihar Politics: Caste Factor Faces a New Challenger

Subtle Changes Sweep Bihar Politics Ahead of Assembly Elections

By MANISH ANAND

BHAGALPUR, June 4, 2025 – Late Digvijay Singh’s legacy lives on. An alumnus of JNU, Singh represented the Banka Lok Sabha seat until his untimely demise.

He passed away several years ago, but the people in his constituency still speak his name with instantaneous expressions of respect. Singh brought a network of irrigation channels, an identity that Banka district is full of ponds, and even a railway line.

“Fish – Rohu and Katla – will be available in sizes of 3kg and above. Whatever amount you say will be arranged with one day’s notice – all from the ponds of Banka district,” said a fish seller in Bhagalpur, an adjoining district of Banka.

Local fish have, in recent years, faced reduced market share in Bihar due to “Andhra fish,” which are sourced from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Fish is a staple delicacy in Bihar, setting an eastern trend that gains intensity as one crosses into neighboring West Bengal.

“See the flavor. The fish was so fresh. The cut sizes of fish pieces are perfect for the groom’s marriage party. They won’t even touch other items on the menu,” said Rameshwar Sahu, as he stirred the crackling frying fish pieces in a large utensil set atop a few bricks fired by LPG.

In marriage functions, a family member, generally the behnoi (sister’s husband), takes control of the storeroom and also acts as an instructor to cooks. “You must have heard that three youths have been arrested in West Bengal for allegedly putting up communally polarizing posters,” the behnoi, Ajay Sharma, a self-professed Congress supporter, told an assistant cook. He steered the discussion from the quality of fish to the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections.

“Now, the people are wiser, and they will not fall for communal politics. The days of Nitish Kumar (Bihar’s Chief Minister) are now numbered in the company of the BJP,” added Sharma.

With a few stars in the dark sky overlooking the fish being cooked, the discussion now turned serious. Manoj Gupta, another assistant cook, had finished making a paste of onion and garlic. “Now, we can go to our villages after work in the city, even after midnight. Did we venture out even after 6 PM earlier?” Gupta added a fresh element to the political discussion.

“Why are you recalling days that are over two decades behind?” snapped Sharma. “Those days can quickly return,” asserted Gupta. They were referring to the days of lawlessness, called ‘Jungle Raj,’ in Bihar when Lalu Prasad Yadav and his wife Rabri Devi ruled the state for 15 years – 1990–2005.

“You will vote only on the basis of the past. Don’t you see the youth all around you unemployed?” asked Sharma.

Now, Sahu intervened to steer the discussion toward a community consensus that unemployment is not just a Bihar-specific problem. “Where is the youth complaining of unemployment? They are driving e-rickshaws. They (PM Narendra Modi and Nitish Kumar) are building bridges and roads. Will others build them?” asked Sahu.

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About The Author

Manish Anand

Manish Anand is a senior journalist with more than two decades of hardcore reporting on beats such as Prime Minister’s Office, Parliament, BJP, Congress, Planning Commission, NITI Aayog, and scores of Union Ministries.

His past has been with The New Indian Express, The Asian Age/Deccan Chronicle, and The Statesman.

For about 15 years, Manish was also a regular commentator and host for talks on AIR on foreign affairs.

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