'Birth-based ruling class': Dynasts lead candidate lists in Bihar elections; old families still call the shots

NEW DELHI: Bihar has long been a paradox in Indian politics, a land that has nurtured some of the country’s most powerful democratic movements, yet one where political inheritance continues to define power. The state’s political imagination remains alive and restless, but its electoral field is still crowded with familiar surnames and inherited legacies. In a region where political awareness runs deep despite limited economic and educational progress, dynastic influence remains an unbroken thread. As Bihar heads into assembly elections, the hold of family-based politics spans parties and ideologies alike — from the RJD to the BJP — reflecting how lineage continues to shape leadership in one of India’s most politically conscious states. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said dur