From demanding a Bharat Ratna for Lalu Prasad for his contribution to social justice, to organising special outreach events for the Teli community and invoking EBC icon Karpoori Thakur, the RJD has gone the extra mile over the past year to lay claim to non-Yadav OBC and EBC voters.

Apart from making jobs its central plank, the party under Tejashwi Yadav hoped that this would broaden its appeal beyond its Yadav-Muslim vote base. The RJD also aligned closely with the Congress, and its demand for a caste census, and stitched up alliances this time with smaller caste-based outfits such as Mukesh Sahani ’s Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP), representing the Nishads, and I P Singh of the Taanti and Paan Samaj.

Yet, as the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections draw to a close, the RJD’s attempt to expand

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