New Delhi: By agreeing to project Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) chief Mukesh Sahani as the deputy CM candidate of the I.N.D.I.A. bloc, Lalu Yadav’s RJD has sought to expand the catchment area of its traditional Muslim-Yadav (MY) vote bank to stitch a larger MY-BAAP umbrella coalition by reaching out to other marginalised groups like Bahujan (Dalits), Adivasi (Tribals), and Pichda (Backward, especially Extremely Backward classes).

The arithmetic behind the RJD’s projection of Sahani as Tejashwi Yadav’s deputy can be traced to the Bihar Caste Survey conducted in 2022, when the RJD and the JD(U) were in alliance. The data showed that the Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (also called Other Backward Classes, or OBCs) constitute the largest segment of the state population, at 63%.

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