Bihar's future politics hinges on PK's make-or-break moment

PK's decision to undertake a padyatra across Bihar two years ago, to connect with the people and understand their needs, came as a bolt from the blue

- AJAY JHA

Typically, Bihar's bypolls to elect four lawmakers with short-term tenures would be deemed inconsequential. The longevity of the incumbent Nitish Kumar government is under no threat even if the ruling NDA is defeated in all four constituencies.

However, the entry of PK Pandey and his political outfit Jan Suraaj has piqued significant interest. For those outside Bihar, PK Pandey may be an unfamiliar figure, but he is no stranger to Bihar's intricate caste conundrum—a challenge that the famous election strategist Prashant Kishor now faces.

However, PK's decision to undertake a padyatra across Bihar two years ago, to connect with the people and understand their needs, came as a bolt from the blue to the established political players. These politicians typically seek votes based on caste affiliations without prioritizing the real issues faced by the electorate. They dug up PK's surname, "Pandey," which he had dropped years ago, to assert that he is an upper-caste Brahmin—a minority community comprising just 3.65% of the more than 130 million population of Bihar, the second most populous state in India after Uttar Pradesh and the most densely populous state in terms of land-population ratio.