Muslim-Yadav vs Mahila-Yuva
http://Battlelines are drawn in bihar
Sandhyamidday@Newdelhi@The Bihar Assembly elections appear to be centred around competing versions of the ‘MY’ formula. The RJD is relying on its traditional Muslim-Yadav (MY) vote bank. The NDA, led by the BJP and JD(U), has its own MY version— Mahila (women) and Yuva (youth).
As the main Opposition, the RJD continues to draw strength from its core support among Muslims and Yadavs. Its ally, the Congress, is quietly trying to make inroads into the Muslim vote bank. On the other side, the BJP and JD(U) are focusing their electoral strategy on women and young voters rather than caste-based groups. Ahead of the election, several welfare schemes targeting these two groups were introduced, reinforcing the NDA’s emphasis on its own MY formula, which it considers both tested and electorally effective.
Bihar has 7.43 crore eligible voters, of which around 3.5 crore are women and over 1.5 crore are young voters, including more than 14 lakh first-time voters. A senior BJP leader involved in election strategy said, off the record, “The NDA has always been committed to exploring and empowering Nari-shakti and Yuva Shakti. This time, our approach is focused on them to bring their electoral support to NDA for the best Bihar in terms of all kinds of development.” He added that the NDA’s MY equation is “more effective and dedicated to state development than RJD’s MY equation under which RJD dupe the people of Yadav and Muslim communities for electoral gains without doing anything so far for their empowerment.”
According to the 2023 Bihar Caste Census, Yadavs make up 14.26% of the state’s population, while Muslims account for 17.70%. Yadavs are part of the broader Other Backward Classes (OBC), which make up 43% of the population. Scheduled Castes make up 20%, Economically Weaker Sections 10%, Scheduled Tribes 2%, and the General category over 9.5%.
Before the election dates were announced, the NDA launched schemes for women and youth, including direct transfers of `10,000 into the accounts of crores of women. With 3.5 crore women among Bihar’s voters, the move is aimed at winning support from this group.
A senior JD(U) functionary from Patna said, “The first-time voters this time stand at 14.01 lakh and NDA is making a strong, calculated move to woo them towards its development policies.” He added that Nitish Kumar’s policies on women’s empowerment and youth welfare have been widely accepted across the state. In addition to the MY equations — Muslim-Yadav for the RJD and Mahila-Yuva for the NDA — both alliances are also trying to attract upper-caste voters by fielding candidates from Rajput, Bhumihar, Brahmin, and Kayastha communities. According to the latest data, Brahmins make up 3.65% of Bihar’s population, Rajputs 3.45%, Bhumihars 2.87%, and Kayasthas 0.60%. Many of the BJP’s 101 candidates belong to Bhumihar, Rajput, and Brahmin communities, while JD(U) has also nominated several upper-caste candidates.
Political analyst Dr Archana Kumari said, “This time election in Bihar seems centred between RJD and NDA around two different kinds of MY equations — one of RJD and another of NDA. But NDA’s MY seems to be more decisive.”
