Patna: Like every year this year also, the Bihar elections are dependent on caste politics with the political parties focusing on vote banks based on caste. But, the central and the state government of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that is ruling currently is answerable to the people who have questions regarding unemployment and so on.
The influx of unemployed migrant workers from across the states is in the mood to question the government regarding the rising unemployment levels and the answers of which the government does not seem to have.
In Bihar, if the caste equation is seen, 15 per cent of the votes belong to the upper castes, in which Bhumihar Rajput Brahmins and Kayasths are there and there also the BJP or Congress majorly focus on the upper caste vote bank.
But this time, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has tried to make a dent in this and given tickets to more than a dozen candidates who are upper caste, this in itself is a matter of concern for the BJP but apart from this, homeless families displaced by unemployment, poverty and floods and a large number of labourers from different states who have always been on the voter list of Bihar have become an issue for the saffron party.
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Besides unemployment and the devastation due to the recent floods and on the other migrant issues, this time RJD's new equation to woo the backward castes and upper castes, apart from the Muslim-Yadav equation is eating up inside the NDA camp.
This time the Rashtriya Janata Dal has fielded candidates from economically backward caste (EBC) in 24 seats and more than a dozen candidates the upper castes, while Nitish Kumar is also trying to break into the equation of MY and women voters in the name of women safety. However, it also is reflected in the BJP camp in connection with all efforts to woo the voters.
The upper caste and women's vote banks have always been the traditional vote banks of the BJP, but this time in Bihar, the Rashtriya Janata Dal has also given tickets to 30 women, while JDU candidates and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar are also continuously raising the women issues. In such a situation, these topics are not going to show any special change for the BJP.
Despite launching a large number of schemes for the benefit of migrant workers, the coronavirus-induced lockdown and influx of migrants in the state of Bihar does not seem to have changed much for the BJP and may produce major hurdles for the party in the coming elections. That is also why it may seem like the BJP is losing on the vote banks of migrant workers.
For this, the party is adopting all the tricks and is also showing a dream to provide these labourers with proper work in the coming future and to provide them systematic livelihood jobs, but this time it has been done solely on the image of Narendra Modi and its central schemes. Nothing special is being done to woo these labourers on the achievements of development; from the top, the farmers are not very happy with the BJP even on the bill related to agriculture, and all these issues have become a topic of discussion among the top leaders of the party.
BJP is analysing the rallies conducted by the ministers and planning calculated moves based on the reports provided.
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At the same time, the opposition parties are alleging that 46% of the people in Bihar are still unemployed and the BJP government may have shown big dreams in the last 5 years but did not formulate any concrete strategy to remove unemployment from Bihar, in such a way, caste equations and both concrete issues are forcing the Bharatiya Janata Party to become answerable to the misses of the schemes.
JP Nadda, in his rally on Wednesday, hinting at Tukde Tukde gang said and appealed to the people of Bihar that if they support the opposition, the outcomes will not be safe for Bihar.
In his rally, Nadda clearly declared that the other party members - referring to the Rashtriya Janata Dal, are the tukde tukde gang people who broke the country and committed violence. Apparently, as the polling is approaching, the party is trying to give it a communal colour somewhere because it has always been there in any state assembly elections just like how before the national elections, the issue of Pakistan and Kashmir had been a big issue.
But this time the issue has moved on from Pakistan to China and the Bharatiya Janata Party knew that they would not be able to gas the issue of China in this election, however, tukde tukde words were used for the opposition party.
However, the achievements of the Bharatiya Janata Party are also being counted on ground zero, in which more than 16 thousand crore rupees for electricity, more than 13000 crore rupees for roads, more than 54000 crores for highways, 2700 crores rupees for airport, petroleum and gas lines. 21476 crores are being given as examples in the poll-bound Bihar.
The President of Bharatiya Janata Party has even said that Bihar has been moved from the Lantern era to LED era but whether this LED era will show much charisma in this time election is yet to be seen.
However, as polling is coming closer, big party leaders are having more trouble.
Party leader Shahnawaz Hussain says that the post of development is to be further increased in Bihar, under the leadership of Narendra Modi and Nitish Kumar as the Bharatiya Janata Party is going to form the government again.
Hussain also said that the people have faith in development and there will be a complete defeat of Rashtriya Janata Dal.
