NEW DELHI: After the BJP’s success in Delhi assembly elections, its next major goal is to emerge as the single-largest party in Bihar polls due in October-November. BJP’s senior central leaders said the party’s strategy is to make a dent in RJD’s MY (Muslim-Yadav) base and reach out to Yadav voters constituting 17% of population.With the induction of seven ministers into the state cabinet on Wednesday, the BJP, a major ally of the NDA with JD(U)’s Nitish Kumar as CM, has started making noticeable representations to dominant castes, including Bhumihars, in the government.“All the BJP MLAs inducted are those whose influence across their castes cannot be overlooked. Their words in their areas are taken seriously by their communities,” a senior BJP functionary said.Despite these initial efforts, the BJP is poised to face challenges to emerge as the state’s largest party. “One key challenge for the BJP will be breaking into the RJD’s vote bank of Muslims and Yadavs,” said political analyst RK Verma from Patna. “While BJP and its allies have worked hard to expand their influence, RJD has been successful in consolidating its traditional votes in addition to making inroads into upper castes,” Verma added.For BJP, the most concerning issue is its lack of an influential leader like Nitish or Tejashwi Yadav. “Hardly 2-4% of Yadav votes go to BJP, as it has no leader to make a dent in RJD’s Yadav vote bank, with a majority of the community considering Lalu Yadav as their leader,” he said.Political observers say RJD is making significant inroads into upper castes, particularly Bhumihars. “Once a solid vote base for BJP and JD(U), Bhumihars are now drifting towards RJD. This is significant for the opposition and being aided by growing discontent among Bhumihars over their sidelining in key positions,” said Nawal Kishor Thakur, a political observer.
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