Will Prashant Kishor be able to break the web of caste politics in Bihar with his ‘Rainbow Politics’?

New Delhi: If we look at politics and caste politics from the perspective of alliance, then their bond is amazing. Especially in the two big states of the Hindi belt, UP and Bihar, the belief is strong that politics cannot happen without caste. The web of castes in Bihar politics is such that despite the wind of Hindutva, the Bharatiya Janata Party has never been able to form the government alone. Now a new party has emerged on the political scene of Bihar – Jan Suraj. PK may have been constantly calling for voting by rising above the sentiments of caste, but his real electoral test will also be on the pitch of this caste politics.

Even before the launch of Jan Suraj Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal President Lalu Yadav’s daughter Rohini Acharya also gave indications of this by targeting PK. Rohini said, “Who is Prashant Kishor Pandey? Pandey people’s job is to abuse Yadavs, only then their business will run.” Rohini’s statement, which came before Jan Suraj’s entry into politics, is being seen as an attempt to give it the color of forward-backward politics. Now the question is whether Prashant Kishore will be able to break the web of caste politics in Bihar?

PK, who has been weaving the web of election winning strategies for different parties as an election strategist, would also be aware that this challenge will be big in a state like Bihar. Especially when there is a party option available for each caste. Yadavs and Muslims are considered the core voters of Lalu Yadav-led RJD, while Nishads are of Mukesh Sahni’s Vikasheel Insaan Party. Nitish Kumar’s party Janata Dal has the Luv-Kush (Kurmi-Koiri) equation as its base, while Koiri caste is also represented by Upendra Kushwaha’s party Rashtriya Lok Morcha.

While Jitan Ram Manjhi-led Hindustani Awam Morcha has the image of a party of Mushars and Mahadalits, Chirag Paswan-led Lok Janshakti Party and Pashupati Paras’ Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party claim Dalit and Paswan votes. Chirag, who was left alone after all the MPs left, despite losing the name and trace of the party, was able to return to the NDA with the same old force by sidelining uncle Pashupati during the recent Lok Sabha elections, the narrative behind this was that his caste is with him. BJP’s focus is on non-Yadav OBCs along with the general category. In Bihar’s politics entangled in caste arithmetic, the newly-formed Jan Suraj Party is hoping to solve the vote arithmetic with PK’s rainbow politics.

What is PK doing about caste politics?
Prashant Kishore’s party may be new, but he is not new to politics. PK has been active in politics since 2011, even if only as an election strategist. From Narendra Modi to Mamta Banerjee and from Andhra Pradesh to Punjab, he has successfully worked on making election strategies. Talking about Bihar, PK has also prepared the election winning strategy for the grand alliance of JDU-RJD and Congress which stopped BJP riding on the victory chariot in 2015. He must have also realized that if he himself takes the leadership of the party, it can be given the shape of forward-backward politics and perhaps this is the reason why PK put forward a Dalit face in the form of Manoj Bharti to lead the party.

PK is talking about forming an executive committee to run the party, he is making a move to give representation in proportion to the population. In a special conversation with Aaj Tak, PK also said that caste is a reality but there is not only caste in politics. A prejudice has been created that there is politics of caste only. There are no Muslims of Lalu Yadav’s caste, yet they vote for RJD. A large number of people vote for BJP in the name of Modi ji while there is not a single person of his caste in Bihar.

What is the caste math in Bihar?
According to the data of caste survey, the population of extremely backward class and other backward class is the highest in Bihar. The population of EBC is 36.01 and OBC is 27.12 percent. Scheduled caste is 19.65, Scheduled tribe is 1.68 and general category is 15.52 percent. If we look at caste wise, the most influential caste in OBC is Yadav whose population is 14.26 percent. On the other hand, the Brahmin caste from which PK comes, its population is 3.67 percent in the state. In Bihar, it is 17.7088 percent.

Will PK be able to break the wall of caste identity?
If PK is talking about giving representation in proportion to the population from the group of leaders to the organization to the government for the leadership of the party, then this is something like the strategy of BJP which is of universal Hindu vote bank. How successful is PK’s rainbow politics in breaking the wall of caste identity in Bihar politics, can the call to vote for children’s future and livelihood irrespective of caste work wonders? Only the results of the 2025 Bihar elections, to be held in four assembly seats after a few months, will tell this.