Although upper-caste Hindus constitute barely 15 per cent of Bihar’s total population, they have received a disproportionately high share of assembly election tickets from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), particularly from the BJP, which has given them greater prominence compared with Muslims, Dalits and other backward communities who form a much larger social base in the state.
According to the data available, every third NDA candidate belongs to an upper-caste Hindu community, highlighting a clear skew in ticket distribution. The BJP, which leads the alliance, has allocated nearly half of its tickets to upper-caste candidates, including Rajputs, Bhumihars, Brahmins and Kayasthas, while OBCs constitute less than one-third and Scheduled Castes form only about one-eighth of its list.
The Janata Dal (United), led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, has maintained a somewhat broader social representation but still reflects a visible tilt towards the forward castes. Out of 101 JDU candidates, upper castes make up 22 per cent, while OBCs and EBCs together form a little over half, and the remainder are from the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Muslim communities.
The Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), another NDA constituent, has favoured upper-caste Hindus even more, allotting around 60 per cent of its tickets to them, while the rest have gone to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. Smaller allies like the Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) and Rashtriya Lok Morcha have also leaned towards forward communities despite representing marginal groups.
Across the NDA, more than one-third of all candidates belong to forward castes, far exceeding their population share, while the representation of EBCs, OBCs, Muslims and Dalits remains limited. The imbalance reflects a continued dominance of upper-caste politics within the alliance despite Bihar’s demographically backward composition.