The NDA’s strategy of pairing an influential OBC leader with a prominent upper-caste face appears to have paid off in Bihar. As counting day unfolds, both of the state’s deputy chief ministers, Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, seem to have secured decisive wins.

Choudhary, one of the two deputy chief ministers of Bihar, holds a decisive lead in the Tarapur constituency, which falls under the Jamui Lok Sabha constituency in Munger district, after 18 rounds of counting. He is leading against Arun Kumar of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Santosh Kumar Singh of the Jan Suraaj Party. 

Choudhary, the son of veteran politician Shakuni Choudhary, is the BJP’s face among the influential Kushwaha (Koeri) caste, the second largest OBC community, making up 4.21 percent of the state’s population after Yadavs (14.26 percent), according to the state’s caste census. The Kushwaha community is currently classified as OBC by the National Commission for Backward Classes.

A star campaigner for the party, he was deployed across Bihar to campaign for other NDA contestants. Despite allegations made by Prashant Kishor over his age and alleged involvement in a 1995 murder case, Choudhary seems to have sailed through unscathed. 

Following the release of the exit polls projecting an NDA win, he posted on X: “The dedication of NDA workers, the trust of voters, the participation of Jivika Didis, and the boundless energy of the youth have further strengthened the resolve for a new Bihar. This time's victory will be the victory of the people of Bihar, the victory of good governance and development.”

Meanwhile, Vijay Kumar Sinha, the co-deputy chief minister, is leading by a comfortable margin in the Lakhisarai assembly constituency after 13 rounds of counting, against Amaresh Kumar of the Congress and Suraj Kumar of the Jan Suraaj Party. Lakhisarai falls under the Munger Lok Sabha constituency. 

A seasoned upper-caste leader of the party, Sinha has held various posts in the state, including assembly speaker, cabinet minister, and even leader of opposition.  

Sinha, who belongs to the influential Bhumihar community, has a long association with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Growing up, he was an active member of its student wing, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). By tagging him along with Choudhary as deputy CMs, the BJP's decision to bank on the OBC and upper-caste combination may have worked. 

During the first phase of polling, the 58-year-old Sinha made news when his convoy encountered an angry crowd in Khoriari village of Lakhisarai district. While Sinha accused RJD supporters of throwing stones, slippers and cow-dung at his car as he was making his way to two polling booths, locals claimed that the protest was the result of frustration over the dilapidated state of infrastructure.   

Nonetheless, those protests did not make a dent in his bid for reelection from Lakhisarai. Following the release of the exit polls, Sinha was in a confident mood. Speaking to ANI, he said, “The public sentiment is in favour of the development pace of the double-engine government... When the results of exact polls come, they will be better than the exit polls.” 

Given the results, it seems he is right.    

Support our Bihar election coverage here.