In Bihar, it's the 'INDIA bloc'

There is both unity and clarity in the INDIA bloc, asserted Krishna Allavaru in Patna on 17 April. Allavaru was addressing the media along with Tejashwi Yadav and other state leaders of the INDIA bloc, featuring for the purposes of Bihar, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Congress, the Left parties — including the CPI(ML), CPI(M) and CPI — and the Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) led by Mukesh Sahani.

The meeting resolved that Tejashwi Yadav of the RJD would head the coordination committee, which will oversee all other committees including the campaign committee and those dealing with publicity and social media.

Some observers remarked on a seemingly deliberate preference for the use of to refer to the Opposition alliance. If indeed the leaders were being careful to not use Bihar’s default appellation mahagathbandhan, it was possibly to keep the national alliance against the BJP in the frame even while focusing on a common minimum programme and a coordinated campaign strategy for Bihar under Tejashwi Yadav’s leadership.

Allavaru also took a dig at the NDA, pointing out the confusion in their ranks — while the Haryana chief minister has publicly said the NDA’s face in Bihar would be Samrat Chaudhary of the BJP, Union home minister Amit Shah still insists it will be chief minister Nitish Kumar of the JD(U) even as Prime Minister Modi claims he will be the face of the NDA in the state. When reporters pressed to know if the INDIA bloc had finalised its ‘CM face’, Allavaru quipped: “Please go and put the question to them.”

Caste outreach

Bihar has seen a flurry of ‘’ meetings over the past few months, in a clear indication that the Congress is keen to be counted again in the state.

While each of these events was addressed by Rahul Gandhi, the focus significantly has been on specific caste groups at each event — important in a state where caste coalitions can swing elections. The last such event was focused on the Nonia and Kumhar castes.

While the base notes of these sammelans draw attention to the BJP’s many assaults on the Indian Constitution, they also serve to heighten awareness about the groups. The last such sammelan, for example, highlighted the contributions of Budhu Nonia and Ramchandra Vidyarthi — two practically forgotten icons of the freedom movement.

Manjeet Sahu, one of the organisers, said the Congress aims to unify Extremely Backward Castes (EBCs) and Dalits, who together make up nearly 48 per cent of the population of the state. “All three Samvidhan Sammelans held so far in Bihar have centred on the upliftment of OBCs, EBCs and Dalits,” Sahu noted. “The Congress does not just speak of social justice—it practises it.”

Dalit leader Rajesh Ram’s appointment as the president of the state unit is seen as part of this outreach. All Congress front organisations have been revamped in the state, and most are headed by Dalit and OBC (especially Yadav) leaders.

The Nonias, historically linked to the salt trade, played a key role in the freedom movement. Despite their heroic past, they have remained at the bottom of the state’s social ladder. Officially classified as EBC, they still face discrimination and are often treated as ‘untouchables’.

In a symbolic gesture of recognition, the Congress recently appointed a district president from the Nonia community. The Sammelan also paid tribute to Ramchandra Vidyarthi, who was martyred during the Quit India Movement. On 9 August 1942, he hoisted the Indian tricolour at the Deoria court and was shot by the British forces.

The party also remembered Babu Jagjivan Ram, one of India’s tallest Dalit leaders and a key member of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru’s cabinet. The focused outreach has drawn the attention of political observers, who see this as a serious attempt by the Congress to identify with these backward communities and position itself as the party that speaks for them and their aspirations.

Season of new parties

With assembly elections just months away, new political parties are springing up in Bihar every few weeks leaving observers both amused and puzzled. With elections round the corner, the Plurals Party of Pushpam Priya Choudhary, an alumna of the London School of Economics, has popped up again. Nitish Kumar’s former aide and retired IAS officer R.C.P. Singh has floated Aap Sabki Awaaz, while Shivdeep Lande, a former IPS officer, has launched the Hind Sena.

The latest to enter the field is Indian Inquilab Party, floated by the Scheduled Caste community that goes by the name of ‘Paan samaj’. They took everyone by surprise by holding a large and impressive rally at Patna’s historic Gandhi Maidan.

What explains this sudden rash of new parties? Do these late entrants see space in an already crowded political field? Or are they opportunistic ventures to create both pressure and confusion and possibly jostle for bargains later?