Bihar signals collapse of entrenched caste politics

Bihar’s historic election outcome reveals deep voter shift, rejecting outdated caste politics

- ALOK MEHTA

The proclamation ofa new revolution dismantling caste-based politics in Bihar marks a defining moment in India’s democratic evolution.

Five decades after Loknayak Jayaprakash Narayan called for “Total Revolution” from the soil of Bihar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has succeeded in transforming the corrupt caste-anchored power structures that dominated the state's political landscape. Significantly, the defeat of Lalu Yadav’s entrenched Yadav-Muslim vote bank and the collapse of the Congress’ assumption that Dalit-Muslim voters could be treated as captive constituents reflect a far-reaching shift with long-term national implications.

‘The Bihar Assembly election has offered a clear signal — that caste and communal politics have limits and that identity-driven mobilisations are no longer the invincible force they were once assumed to be. The defeat of the Mahagathbandhan underlines the fact that traditional equations and inherited vote banks cannot succeed without a modern, growth-oriented agenda. Even the fortress of the communist-Maoist parties has crumbled; Naxal-affected regions have turned away from violence, signalling the collapse of an old ideological order.

‘A new generation of voters, aspiring for social transformation and demanding better governance, has brought Bihar to a pivotal crossroads. Political actors who align themselves with this evolving consciousness will shape the future more effectively. The electorate has accepted Modi’s doctrine of “sabka saath, sabka vikas.” In the combined 25 years of Modis national leadership and 20 years of Nitish Kumar's governance in Bihar, neither leader has faced a personal corruption charge —a point that reinforces the electorate’s preference for honest, development-oriented leadership over criminalised or transactional politics.