Caste, Controversy and Campaigns: Inside Bihar’s Big Poll

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Oct 10, 2025

Kumar Anshuman, a political reporter with firsthand insights from Bihar, dives into the intricacies of the upcoming assembly elections. He explores how caste dynamics and local issues shape voter sentiments, highlighting the fierce competition between Nitish Kumar, Tejashwi Yadav, and Prashant Kishor. Anshuman discusses the ramifications of recent voter roll changes, the significance of anti-incumbency, and key talking points like Kishor's strategies and Nitish's freebies that dominate the political landscape.

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INSIGHT

MY Bloc Drives RJD Strength

Yadavs (14%) and Muslims (18%) form a decisive MY bloc that powers RJD in Bihar.
Caste arithmetic, not just raw population, shapes party dominance and alliances.

INSIGHT

Social Engineering Built Nitish's Base

Nitish Kumar leveraged Kurmi support and anti-Lalu/upper-caste anger to build durable coalitions.
Social engineering, not caste size alone, explains his long incumbency.

ANECDOTE

Reporter Ground Tour In Key Districts

Kumar Anshuman toured Nalanda, Maghadh-Shahabad belt, Patna and nearby areas ahead of elections to gauge public mood.
He focused on regions that performed poorly for NDA in 2020 and 2024 to assess swing dynamics.

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The stage is set for one of India’s most riveting political contests, the Bihar Assembly Elections 2025. Nine-time Chief Minister Nitish Kumar faces perhaps his toughest test yet, battling fatigue and anti-incumbency. Tejashwi Yadav is going beyond RJD's traditional Muslim Yadav votebank, while political strategist turned challenger Prashant Kishor is out to disrupt the traditional equations. On the ground, caste remains the central axis of Bihar’s politics from the Yadav, Muslim bloc to Kurmis, Kushwahas, and the Extremely Backward Classes, every community holds the key to a few crucial seats. Adding to the churn is the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision, which has seen millions struck off and added back to the voter rolls, sparking controversy and court hearings. In this episode, Host Nidhi Sharma talks to ET’s Kumar Anshuman and Anubhuti Vishnoi to decode the political map of Bihar with ground reports, data, and insights from shifting alliances and freebies to law-and-order issues and the two-phase polling strategy. This is the battle that could redefine Bihar’s political future.

You can follow Anirban Chowdhury on his social media: Twitter and Linkedin

You can follow Anubhuti Vishnoi on her Linkedin, Twitter profiles and read her Newspaper Articles.

You can follow Kumar Anshuman on his Linkedin profile and read his Newspaper Articles.

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