Survey done, why Nitish is extending olive branch to ‘upper’ castes with EWS quota in judicial services

Nitish Kumar cabinet approved 10% quota for judicial services a day after releasing caste survey findings. State leaders say it's because 'upper' castes punch above their weight in polls.

The Bihar government has announced a 10 percent quota in the ‘unreserved’ economically weaker section (EWS) category for judicial services and state-run law colleges, in what is being called a calculated overture towards the ‘upper’ castes ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

The decision, announced Tuesday, came just a day after the Bihar government of its controversial caste-based survey, which showed that backward classes comprise 63 percent of the state’s 13 crore population.

The unreserved category, on the other hand, accounts for a mere 15.5 percent of the population, a finding that is said to have stirred unease among the upper castes.

It has also led to criticism from the BJP, which has claimed that the caste survey is a way to create caste divisions among Hindus

The Nitish Kumar government’s latest EWS quota gambit is seen in political circles as an olive branch to mollify the upper castes, which play an important role in several Lok Sabha constituencies.

Even some leaders of the ruling Janata Dal (United), or JD(U), acknowledge as much.

“We will be needing upper castes in several Lok Sabha seats. In Munger, our national president Lallan Singh will need the votes of the Bhumihars if he has to win. We need Rajput votes if we want to retain the Siwan seat. Valmikinagar is currently held by JD(U) MP who belongs to the Extremely Backward Caste category, but the seat is dominated by Brahmins,” a JD(U) MLA told ThePrint on condition of anonymity.

While Nitish Kumar’s politics has traditionally been centred on backward classes and Dalits, its long-time alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) meant that the upper castes also ended up voting for his party.

Now that the JD(U) has split with the BJP, it faces the prospect of alienating the upper castes, who may be upset by the caste census survey findings. Many of the CM’s closest aides belong to the upper castes, including Vijay Kumar Choudhary, a Bhumihar, and Sanjay Kumar Jha, a Brahmin.