Quota politics back in focus in Bihar
, ET Bureau|
Updated: Nov 09, 2017, 11.41 AM IST
Quota politics has once again come alive in Bihar with state Chief Minister Nitish Kumar introducing reservation in outsourced contractual jobs provided by the state government, and underlining the need for a debate on the scope of reservation in private sector at the national level.
In a caste-ridden state like Bihar, quota is an extremely politically sensitive issue, and CM Kumar is aware of the fact that the main Opposition RJD wants to paint him (Nitish) as “anti-reservation” because of his decision to team up with the BJP in Bihar ahead of the 2019 LS polls. BJP has also backed Kumar’s decision to introduce reservation in outsourced contractual jobs provided by the state government.
His sudden focus on quota politics also indicates his own preparation for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
Though he is part of NDA, he has used his own brand of quota politics to counter RJD during his more than a decade rule in Bihar. It is to his credit that he brought the different Extremely Backward Castes (EBC) within the OBC under one political umbrella, Ati-Pichchara.
So far, he has ensured benefits of quota politics for different EBC by reserving seats for them in the panchayat elections. His political decision to bring the EBC into mainstream politics is also believed to have helped his government counter left wing extremism in different parts of Bihar.
Kumar prefers to accommodate women from every section, and it has helped him create “women votebank” in the state. With his return to the NDA camp, his bargaining power has decreased a bit, but he continues to believe in the slogan: “growth with justice (nayay ke sath vikash)”.
Kumar faces criticism from his political opponent and former CM Lalu Prasad Yadav who wants to make the 2019 LS battle as RJD vs BJP. Also, another difficult task for JD (U) is to negotiate a seat sharing arrangement with BJP which has 22 sitting MPs, apart from the 9 seats to other allies. Bihar has a total of 40 seats.
All top leaders of JDU remained quiet on their possible seat sharing arrangement with the BJP. “No one can figure out Nitish’s mind, and he could have made up his mind on the seat sharing arrangement with BJP and its ally. So, wait for him next move,” a source in JD (U) told ET in Patna.
According to him, Kumar’s statement in which he has underlined the need for a debate on reservation in private sector has its own political significance for the coming 2019 polls.
In a caste-ridden state like Bihar, quota is an extremely politically sensitive issue, and CM Kumar is aware of the fact that the main Opposition RJD wants to paint him (Nitish) as “anti-reservation” because of his decision to team up with the BJP in Bihar ahead of the 2019 LS polls. BJP has also backed Kumar’s decision to introduce reservation in outsourced contractual jobs provided by the state government.
His sudden focus on quota politics also indicates his own preparation for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
Though he is part of NDA, he has used his own brand of quota politics to counter RJD during his more than a decade rule in Bihar. It is to his credit that he brought the different Extremely Backward Castes (EBC) within the OBC under one political umbrella, Ati-Pichchara.
So far, he has ensured benefits of quota politics for different EBC by reserving seats for them in the panchayat elections. His political decision to bring the EBC into mainstream politics is also believed to have helped his government counter left wing extremism in different parts of Bihar.
Kumar prefers to accommodate women from every section, and it has helped him create “women votebank” in the state. With his return to the NDA camp, his bargaining power has decreased a bit, but he continues to believe in the slogan: “growth with justice (nayay ke sath vikash)”.
Kumar faces criticism from his political opponent and former CM Lalu Prasad Yadav who wants to make the 2019 LS battle as RJD vs BJP. Also, another difficult task for JD (U) is to negotiate a seat sharing arrangement with BJP which has 22 sitting MPs, apart from the 9 seats to other allies. Bihar has a total of 40 seats.
All top leaders of JDU remained quiet on their possible seat sharing arrangement with the BJP. “No one can figure out Nitish’s mind, and he could have made up his mind on the seat sharing arrangement with BJP and its ally. So, wait for him next move,” a source in JD (U) told ET in Patna.
According to him, Kumar’s statement in which he has underlined the need for a debate on reservation in private sector has its own political significance for the coming 2019 polls.
