[“Even the issue of development in Bihar is to some extent tied
up with caste in the sense that people look into who benefited from government
policies and who did not, and promote a politics of patronage on that basis,”
Dr. Pai said. “It is not that people only look at the caste of a candidate and
vote, but it’s the fact that caste politics seems to determine a lot of the
decisions that governments make and the way that politics functions in the
state.”]
By
Neha Thirani Bagri
Nitish Kumar, center, chief minister of Bihar and a member of the Janata Dal (United) party, during a news
conference in New Delhi on Feb.
25.
|
PATNA,
India — In Bihar, one of the poorest states in India, voters in this
year’s elections have the economy foremost on their minds, but in a state where
the most socially disadvantaged sections of society make up a majority of
voters, even economic issues are tied up with caste politics.
Sachidanand Sharma, who heads the political science department
at Patna University, said development has become a central issue and a buzzword
for every political party in Bihar during the campaign. “For the first time, in
this election people in Bihar are talking of voting on the basis of political
parties and issues, and not solely on the basis of caste and religion as was
the norm in previous elections in the state,” Dr. Sharma said.
Yet Sudha Pai, a professor at the Center for Political Studies
at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, said that voters were also mindful
of how politics operate in the state government.
“Even the issue of development in Bihar is to some extent tied
up with caste in the sense that people look into who benefited from government
policies and who did not, and promote a politics of patronage on that basis,”
Dr. Pai said. “It is not that people only look at the caste of a candidate and
vote, but it’s the fact that caste politics seems to determine a lot of the
decisions that governments make and the way that politics functions in the
state.”
In the six phases of voting in Bihar, which will send 40
legislators to the Lok Sabha, or lower house of Parliament, three groups are
battling it out: the Janata Dal (United), which leads the state government; the
Bharatiya Janata Party in alliance with the Lok Janshakti Party; and a
coalition of the Rashtriya Janata Dal, the Indian National Congress and the
Nationalist Congress Party.
Nitish Kumar of the Janata Dal (United), who has been chief
minister of Bihar since 2005, has campaigned on the platform of bringing
development, good governance, and law and order to Bihar.
However, Mr. Kumar has also worked to gain support among those
classified as members of the lowest strata of society, the Mahadalits and the
extremely backward castes, who make up 44 percent of the state’s 62.1 million
voters.
Having severed a 17-year alliance with the Hindu nationalist
Bharatiya Janata Party, Mr. Kumar is also vying for the vote of the Muslim
community by emphasizing his secular politics.
The Lok Janshakti Party chief, Ram Vilas Paswan, also says he
represents the aspirations of all backward castes, who make up 22.5 percent of
the vote in the state, while the Bharatiya Janata Party has support among the
upper-caste Hindu voters, political analysts say.
Meanwhile, the Rashtriya Janata Dal’s leader, Lalu Prasad Yadav,
has traditionally relied on the support of Muslims and Yadavs, a backward caste
community.
In conversations with citizens on the streets of Patna, the
state capital, on Wednesday, the day before the second phase of the elections,
the economy and the quality of life came up as the most important election
issues.
“The common man in Bihar is distraught because of the rising
costs, poverty and corruption,” said Binay Ram, 65, who works for the city’s
municipal corporation. “People want change in this election. People
will vote according to who they think can provide good leadership to the
state.”
Many said that although politicians spoke of development, the
poor in the state did not benefit from economic growth.
“Rising prices have made life terrible for poor people in the
state; all these governments work for the rich,” said Manju Devi, 30, who
washes dishes in people’s homes and makes 2,000 rupees, or $30, a month, on
which she supports two children. “There needs to be progress that includes the
poor people of the state. The government needs to improve security for women
like me.”
However, people said, caste and community allegiances would
still guide voters’ decisions. “Even today, there is a lot of prejudice on the
grounds of caste in Bihar,” said Mohommad Hasan, 37, who works as a tailor in
the Maurya Complex in Patna. “People believe that if they vote for someone from
their community, then the person will work for their betterment.”
Deepak Kumar, 34, who owns a small business in Patna, said caste
consciousness is inherent in Bihar people’s thinking. “It is the basis on which
our society is organized,” he said. “Political parties are capitalizing on
this, and instead of working for development and the advancement of the whole
society, each politician claims to be protecting the interests of some caste or
community.”