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January 24 hardly had any significance in Bihar's political calendar till recently. But that was set to change in 2013 as the Lok Sabha elections drew closer. Political parties rediscovered the significance of this date and went all out to celebrate former chief minister Karpoori Thakur's 89th birth anniversary with a fervour never seen before. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) went one step further this year and equated its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi with the state's socialist icon.
That was ostensibly done to woo a section of what is known as extreme backward classes (EBCs), or most backward classes, to which Karpoori Thakur belonged. While addressing a gathering in Patna to mark the 90th birth anniversary, BJP president Rajnath Singh is reported to have said, "Karpoori Thakur set the highest standards in simplicity. He lived a spartan life despite occupying the Bihar chief minister's office thrice. Starting as a tea-seller, Narendra Modi belongs to a similar social base and he (Modi) is the true inheritor of Karpoori's ideals and tradition." The message to party cadre was clear: Make inroads among EBCs by highlighting the social base of Modi.
In order to achieve that objective, the BJP's state organisation underwent a transformation of sorts. "It is no coincidence the BJP's state unit began to project leaders like Sushil Kumar Modi and Nand Kishore Yadav as the real faces of the party in the state. And the supposed marginalisation of some leaders in the party may be a tactical move to shed its upper caste tag," observes a scholar with Patna University. He refused to be named.
In fact, in selection of candidates for the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP and its allies have given tickets to four candidates belonging to EBCs. The Janata Dal (United) has offered the same number of tickets to candidates from this group. The Rashtriya Janata Dal-Congress combine, on the other hand, has offered only two seats to EBC candidates.
In Bihar's electoral politics, EBCs, with a vote share in excess of 35 per cent, constitute the largest social group. That is why Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has been nursing this influential group with targeted schemes. Of late, the BJP is aggressively trying to make inroads, reportedly with help from Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) volunteers. The RSS, which had a token presence in the state, has been growing steadily in the past four years. The organisation now has nearly 1,000 branches in Bihar, registering a growth of 20 per cent in the last four years, according to RSS leader Rajesh Pandey.
"RSS volunteers, most of them from the upper castes, visit villages populated by Dalits and EBCs. They put tilak on the forehead of the villagers and dine with them. Through such campaigns, the BJP and its sister organisations have been sending the message to deprived sections of the society that they care for them," says a Patna-based Left-leaning political observer. For the record though, the RSS says it has nothing to do with politics. "Whatever we do is a part of our effort to bring all sections of the society together and we have been doing this for years," says Pandey.
The BJP's social engineering mission seems to be working. Arvind Kumar Kushwaha, originally from Madhubani district and preparing for competitive examinations in Patna, is of the view that Narendra Modi is the best bet for prime minister. "Modi at the Centre and Nitish Kumar in the state is what me and my friends would like," says Kushwaha.
Social engineering is not the only tool the BJP is working with in Bihar. It has put in place both the management committees in all 40 Lok Sabha constituencies well in advance. All committees are entrusted with the task of ensuring that party supporters are present on election day to cast their votes. The committees have also been asked to work on floating voters through door-to-door campaigns.
The RSS, though denying any role in booth management, says it works to ensure that voters turn up. "Healthy democracy requires greater participation of the people. Our work is intended to achieve that goal," says Pandey.
For first-time voters, the BJP is relying on the social media and campus recruitment to win young voters. First-time voters range from 90,000 to 100,000 in each of the 40 constituencies. The number is large enough to impact electoral outcomes in multi-cornered contests. "The BJP organised regular camps in Patna University to recruit students," says Rakesh Ranjan, a faculty member. Similar scenes are observed in many campuses throughout the state. The party has also focused attention on 38 district towns for its extensive social media campaign.
Besides all these, nearly 100 'Har Har Modi, Ghar Ghar Modi' vehicles have hit the road, travelling to various parts of the state to spread the party's agenda.
