The BJP’s new found focus on the backward classes and castes became more evident after the Bihar state unit of the party was reconstituted last week in which leaders from the backward community have been given prominent positions while senior leaders from the upper castes have been ignored.
BJP’s president for the Bihar unit, Nityanand Rai, a Yadav, claimed that the office-bearers have been selected keeping in view the next Assembly elections and that young leaders from the OBCs and EBCs with potential to influence the voters have been accommodated.
The 249-member list has given preference to the leaders from the Kurmi, Yadav, Chandrawanshi and Teli communities superseding the Bhumihars and Brahmins. Dalits, particularly Jatavs, have been given importance by inducting three Dalits among the nine vice-presidents.
The committee is headed by Nityananad Rai, who is MP from Ujiarpur. The Leader of Opposition is Prem Kumar, a Chandrawanshi or Kahar, another EBC leader in the party.
Patna based party leaders said that Bihar BJP is attempting to replicate the UP model by giving preference to the EBCs and OBCs and even Muslims have found place in the new committee with Jamshed Ashraf, a former JDU minister being included.
Jatavs, who were ignored in the old committee because of the domination of Paswans, have got their due share this time. Shivesh Ram, a young leader of the community, who represented Agiaon (reserved) constituency in the state Assembly till 2015, has been made the vice-president.
Leaders of upper castes are out of the decision-making bodies. Brahims, Bhumihars have been given responsibility of unimportant cells like research wings and archives.
Senior party leader Sukhada Pandey, who was the only leader of Bihar who was a part of the BJP national executive when it had first met in 1980, has been made the incharge of literature department while another senior leader Harendra Pratap has been given the charge of documentation. Narendra Nath Ojha, another prominent Brahmin face has been made incharge of “foreign affairs”.
The list suggests that the supporters of three top leaders who had a major say in the selection of candidates in 2015 have been neglected as 80% of the new office-bearers are considered loyal to the new president. Literally, loyalists of Sushil Kumar Modi, Nand Kishore Yadav and Mangal Pandey are not in the new committee.
Pandey was replaced by Nityanand Rai last year ,while Nandkishore was replaced by Prem Kumar.