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Gearing up for the Bihar Assembly elections due next year, the ruling Janata Dal (United) has reconstituted its state committee, which has sought to balance the representation of various communities while focusing on the OBC “Luv-Kush” (Kurmi-Koeri) communities and the EBCs (Extremely Backward Classes).
Following the approval of Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) national president Nitish Kumar, state JD(U) chief Umesh Kushwaha on Saturday unveiled the party’s 115-member state committee comprising the party vice presidents, general secretaries, secretaries and spokespersons. Of these state office-bearers, 36 leaders belong to the Luv-Kush communities including 26 Kurmi faces and 10 Koeris. These two OBC communities, which account for over 7% of the state’s population, are part of Nitish’s core support base along with sections of the EBCs and the SCs (Scheduled Castes).
The new state party committee has 19 office-bearers belonging to the EBC groups. It also has 10 members from the SC communities.
“The biggest takeaway from the new committee is our focus on consolidating our core Luv-Kush constituency. The reason is evident. Our key NDA ally BJP has been trying to create its own Luv-Kush vote base, projecting its state party chief and Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary as its leader in the state. Our another NDA ally
Upendra Kushwaha has been a pan-Bihar Kushwaha leader,” said a senior JD (U) leader. “Under these conditions, JD(U) has to play to its strength. Nitish Kumar’s caste (Kurmi) has got major representation (26 office-bearers) in the state committee, which is a clear signal to the people that JD(U) alone is their political voice,” he said.
The Rashtriya Lok Morcha’s chief and former Union minister Upendra Kushwaha is now set to be elected to the Rajya Sabha from the state after being nominated by the BJP. He was defeated in the Karakat constituency in the recent Lok Sabha polls which saw two of the Opposition Mahagathbandhan alliance’s seven Kushwaha candidates clinch their seats in the state. While the CPI(ML)’s Raja Ram Singh defeated Independent candidate Pawan Singh in Karakat to send Upendra to the third spot, the RJD’s Abhay Kushwaha won from Aurangabad, defeating the incumbent BJP MP Sushil Kumar Singh. These results indicated a shift of a section of Kushwahas from the NDA.
The new JD(U) state committee, however, also has 10 Yadav faces and as many OBC Vaishya leaders, which reflect the party’s bid to expand its constituency while focusing on its core base. While Yadavs are part of the principal Opposition RJD’s core constituency, Vaishyas are considered to be affiliated to the BJP. “Just as BJP and RJD would try to expand their bases, JD (U) has also been trying to reach out to other sections of society ahead of the 2025 Assembly polls. We had succeeded in that in a big way in the 2010 Assembly polls when the NDA won 206 of 243 Bihar seats, with JD(U) alone winning 115 seats,” said another JD (U) leader.
The JD(U) state committee has 21 upper caste office-bearers, including nine Rajputs and seven Bhumihars. Eight Muslim leaders have been inducted into the panel. The party has also been trying to reach out to the Muslim community. On the Centre’s contentious Waqf Amendment Bill — which has been sent to a Joint Committee of Parliament for scrutiny — the JD(U), a crucial partner of the Narendra Modi-led NDA government, has taken a firm stand that Muslims’ concerns must be addressed before going ahead with it.
Last Friday, Nitish had allocated work to the JD(U)’s 23 national office-bearers, giving them the charge of various states. The party’s national team has four members from the Luv-Kush communities and three from the EBCs.
