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Casting For Votes Beyond MY Pool: Tejashwi Hooks ‘Son of Mallah’ To Net Bihar’s EBC Support
Casting For Votes Beyond MY Pool: Tejashwi Hooks ‘Son of Mallah’ To Net Bihar’s EBC Support
As the campaign for the first phase of the Bihar assembly elections gains momentum, the two main rivals, the Mahagathbandhan or INDIA bloc and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), are targeting the Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs), who could be decisive in this high-stakes contest.
Mahagathbandhan's chief ministerial candidate, Tejashwi Yadav, has declared that Mukesh Sahani, popularly known as the “Son of Mallah", will be one of the deputy chief ministers if the alliance comes to power. This move is seen as a strategic effort to attract EBC voters, who are traditionally loyal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief minister Nitish Kumar.
The Nishad community, along with sub-castes such as Mallah, Kevat, Bind, and Kashyap, makes up around 5.5 per cent of Bihar's population. Sahani has long demanded Scheduled Caste status for this group, but this could upset Dalit communities due to concerns over further division of reservation benefits. Therefore, Tejashwi has refrained from making such promises. However, naming Sahani as a potential deputy CM is expected to challenge the NDA, particularly in north and north-west Bihar, where the fishermen community can impact results in nearly 30 constituencies.
In the recent Lok Sabha elections, the BJP's vote share dropped by over 9 per cent in Uttar Pradesh and around 5 per cent in Bihar, despite contesting with NDA partners. Compared to the 2020 assembly polls, the vote margin between the NDA and Mahagathbandhan had narrowed to just 0.03 per cent, the closest in Bihar's electoral history. These figures have renewed hope in the opposition camp as Tejashwi seeks to move beyond the Muslim-Yadav (MY) support base and promote a broader “A to Z" and “MyBaap" formula, representing Muslims, Yadavs, Bahujans, Agdas, women, and the poor.
Building on his earlier strategy of fielding several Kushwaha candidates in the Lok Sabha elections, Tejashwi has maintained similar social arithmetic in ticket distribution this time by nominating over a dozen candidates from this community. NDA leader Upendra Kushwaha also claims to represent the Kushwahas, but his dissatisfaction with ticket distribution and waning influence has created an opening for the RJD.
Historically, EBCs have supported Nitish Kumar for his welfare and development schemes while also resonating with Prime Minister Modi's EBC background. However, voting behaviour in Bihar often differs between parliamentary and assembly elections. For example, Yadav votes were split in Lok Sabha contests but consolidated behind the RJD during Assembly polls—a trend observed across several caste groups.
During state elections, smaller communities often align with local leaders who best represent their interests. Since the days of Karpoori Thakur, no EBC leader has commanded universal respect among all 112 sub-castes within this bloc. The absence of a towering figure like Modi in state politics and two decades of Nitish Kumar's incumbency have given the Mahagathbandhan some room to recalibrate its EBC outreach.
Projecting Mukesh Sahani as a deputy CM candidate is seen as a signal that the Lalu Yadav family is willing to share power with other communities. Tejashwi has also hinted at other deputy chief ministers, though he has not disclosed their caste identities, a strategic move to avoid voter polarisation.
For Sahani, however, the challenge remains significant. Even within his own community, his influence is untested after losing the 2020 assembly election from Simri Bakhtiyarpur in Saharsa, despite contesting as part of the NDA.
The fishermen community holds sway in several districts such as Muzaffarpur, East Champaran, West Champaran, Vaishali, Darbhanga, and Khagaria—areas considered BJP strongholds. In the last assembly elections, the BJP won 15 of the 21 seats in Champaran, while the NDA secured 9 out of 11 in Muzaffarpur and 9 out of 10 in Darbhanga.
Sensing the growing challenge, the BJP recently re-inducted Mallah leader and former Muzaffarpur MP Ajay Nishad into the party and nominated his wife from the Aurai seat. Nishad, the son of four-time MP Captain Jai Narayan Nishad, had earlier represented Muzaffarpur on a BJP ticket in 2019 but was denied a ticket in 2024 when the party fielded Rajbhushan Chaudhary, also from the fishermen community.
Source: News18
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