- By Shubham Bajpai
- Sun, 21 Sep 2025 09:58 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Bihar Assembly Elections: The Assembly elections in Bihar are nearing with each passing day, with parties and alliances busy crafting strategies to pin their opponents. In a bid of that, the parties are eyeing a crucial section of voters that can play a decisive role - 20 per cent Dalit.
According to a report by Jagran.com, the largest share of Dalit votes in Bihar is from the Ravidas and Paswan communities. Of the total Dalit vote in the state, 31 percent are Ravidas, 30 percent are Paswan or Dusadh, while Mushar or Manjhi constitute around 14 percent.
The ruling NDA alliance led by CM Nitish Kumar has allies like HAM of Jitan Ram Manjhi and LJP (RV) of Chirag Paswan. On the other hand, the RJD has been trying to paint the ruling alliance as anti-Dalit and anti-OBC.
SC seats and calculations
Congress state president Rajesh Ram is also trying to present the party as the biggest well wisher of the Dalits. Out of 243 seats, 38 are reserved for the Scheduled Castes. Among them, NDA currently holds 21 seats. The BJP has 9 Dalit MLAs while the JDU has 8.
This time, the NDA is focusing on winning the reserved seats held by the Grand Alliance. Jagran.com quoted a senior Dalit BJP leader saying that of the 38 reserved seats, only 17 are without an NDA MLA. The goal this time is to win at least all 35 reserved seats.
With Jitan Ram Manjhi and Chirag Paswan by their side, the NDA is sure of getting the votes from the community, and so is working out a formula to woo other Dalit castes in these polls.
Meanwhile, a Dalit leader from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) claimed that the Grand Alliance would win all reserved seats in the assembly elections this time. Congress has made a unique move by appointing Rajesh Ram, who belongs to the Ravidas community, one of the largest Dalit communities, as its state president.