Bihar boasts of one of the most fascinating political histories in India. As it heads to Assembly polls this month, The Indian Express brings a series of articles that tell the history of Bihar politics through the tenure of its 23 chief ministers. You can click here to read the previous edition on Satish Prasad Singh, the first OBC CM of Bihar, who had a five-day tenure to make way for BP Mandal.

The year 1968 marked the end of the first non-Congress coalition government in Bihar, which was in power for less than a year. Nonetheless, it heralded the beginning of new entrants into Bihar politics, including previously underrepresented communities and caste groups.

A rising Yadav leader at the time was Bindheshwari Prasad Mandal, or BP Mandal, a supporter of socialist leader Dr Ram

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