OBCs, EBCs nearly two-thirds of Bihar population

AT A TIME when the BJP and Congress are vying with each other for the OBC vote in the coming elections, Bihar chief minister and JD(U) supremo Nitish Kumar on Monday stole a march over them.

- SANTOSH SINGH

Choosing Gandhi Jayanti to make the announcement, the Nitish government revealed the results of its caste survey, putting the combined OBC strength in the state at 63% a 10% leap over their share estimated by the 1931 census, the last time caste enumeration was done in the country - and adding fresh vigour to the Opposition's demand for a caste census.

It might also cast a shadow over the Modi government's achievement in passing the law to reserve seats for women in state Assemblies and the Lok Sabha, as the Opposition calls this incomplete without an OBC quota within the 33%.