1. The Return of Identity Politics

Bihar has been famously referred to as the heartland of caste politics, and in the run-up to elections, the old power centers are making a comeback. The political parties are going back to the tactics that previously made them successful—trying to reach out to particular communities like Yadavs, Dalits, Kurmis, and upper castes, and reworking the approach in terms of reaching out to Muslim and Extremely Backward Classes.

Leaders are re-igniting caste census controversies, welfare programs linked with representation by community, and even symbolic acts to demonstrate harmony with specific social groups. The next polls have turned into a test of the administration rather than just a battle for “who speaks for Bihar’s identity.”

2. The “Bangladeshi Infiltrator” Narrative in Seemanchal

• One of the most charged developments is taking place in the Seemanchal belt of north-east Bihar, which shares boundaries with West Bengal and Nepal. This region with a high population of Bangla-speaking Muslims is now at the eye of a political storm.
• Some groups of politicians have started terming parts of this population as “Bangladeshi infiltrators,” a line of argument that critics believe is an attempt to polarize voters along religious and linguistic lines.
• This rhetoric has evoked intense concern from citizens, many of whom are Indian nationals who have resided in Bihar for generations.

For them, the elections are not only about leadership—they are about identity, belonging, and dignity. The matter has also attracted national attention, with commentators warning that such narratives risk inflaming communal tensions within one of India’s most socio-economically vulnerable states.

 3. Development vs. Identity: The Old Debate Returns

In the last decade, Bihar politics had started to turn towards development, infrastructure, and education, particularly under politicians who had vowed to transcend caste politics. But as elections approach, identity again takes center stage.

This is partially due to the fact that development dividends have been uneven—unemployment, migration, and rural poverty continue to be common. Parties are able to mobilize people easily with emotional calls around representation and identity rather than with reform promises that bear fruit over years.

The conflict between asmita (identity) and vikas (development) is now at the center of the election debate.

4. Caste Census and Social Justice Revival

• The recently held caste census by the Bihar government revived the social justice discourse. The figures revealed that most people in Bihar are from backward and very backward classes.
• This has bolstered demands for more representation, expansion of quota, and special welfare policies.

While the ruling party employs the census to project its commitment to equality and inclusion, opposition parties charge that it is playing the caste card in order to hold on to power. The argument has become one of the most powerful political issues of this election season.

 5. Religion and National Politics Spill Into Bihar

• Bihar’s politics hardly ever operates in splendid isolation. National issues—like religious polarization, minority rights, and federal tensions—tend to percolate into local politics.
• The communal subtext surrounding the Seemanchal question and growing hype over “national security” and “illegal immigration” reflect the same trend elsewhere in India.

Both sides are attempting to reconcile these national narratives with local sentiments, particularly in mixed-population areas.

 6. The Stakes Are High

Bihar remains politically symbolic in India—it has been the cradle of major political movements, from Jayaprakash Narayan’s “Total Revolution” to the rise of Lalu Prasad Yadav’s social justice era.

Today, the stakes go beyond who wins the next election. The real contest is over what kind of politics will define Bihar’s future—one centered on inclusive growth or one dominated by identity-based divides.

 Final Thought

The Bihar heating identity debate mirrors the deeper questions being posed by many Indian states:

Can development and social justice coexist?
Can a state transcend its historic cleavages and still have cultural diversity?

As Bihar goes to the polls, its citizens are not merely voting in their next government—they are voting on whether to anticipate a more modern, development-oriented future, or to go back to the ease and turmoil of identity politics which have so dominated its history.