Old ways, new roads

An emerging generation of leaders attempts to build politics around development, while still navigating caste realities

-  PROF B.N. PRASAD

A LONG HISTORY of social and ideological movements that questioned authority has shaped Bihar's political evolution. The state has produced several reformist and revolutionary currents—from Buddhism and Jainism to Vinoba Bhave's Bhoodan movement, Jayaprakash Narayan's call for total revolution, and the peasant uprisings led by Swami Sahajanand Saraswati. Naxalite movements later introduced new forms of social awareness. Together, these created a strong political consciousness that continues to influence the state's politics.

In the decades after independence, the Congress dominated Bihar's politics. Its support base rested largely on upper castes, with participation from backward and marginalised communities. Over time, those excluded groups began to develop their own political consciousness and identity. The early assertion of backward classes came through leaders such as Ram Lakhan Singh Yadav and formations like the Triveni Sangh, which brought together Yadav, Koeri and Kurmi communities.