The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has stuck to its established social engineering strategy in the run-up to Bihar elections, ensuring representation across castes and communities. Over 60% of the candidates in the first list of 71 are from Dalits, backward, extremely backward communities, and women.
The list includes 20 OBCs, 11 from extremely backward classes, eight women, and six candidates from SC and ST communities. Upper-caste representation is also ensured, with 11 Bhumihars, seven Brahmins, and 15 Rajputs among those fielded.
The party has blended experience with fresh faces, introducing new candidates in several constituencies while largely retaining existing seats. This strategy aims to maintain support among both marginalised groups and traditional upper-caste voters, even as new political entities compete for influence.
Political analysts note that social engineering, once a stronghold of other parties, is now being effectively employed by the BJP to consolidate OBC, EBC, and marginalized caste votes.
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