8 months ago
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Kicking disconnected the run for the Bihar Assembly polls, the INDIA bloc is scheduled to merchandise a dedicated manifesto for the Extremely Backward Classes (EBC), a politically important segment. The manifesto merchandise volition coincide with the Congress Working Committee gathering successful Patna connected Wednesday (September 24, 2025).
Sources said that the manifesto volition see a committedness to bring a instrumentality for the EBCs connected akin lines arsenic the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. This thought has been successful the works present for respective months and was archetypal mooted by the CPI(ML). The INDIA bloc’s run against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls had delayed its launch.
All INDIA bloc leaders volition beryllium contiguous during the merchandise of the manifesto.
As per the caste-based survey released by the Bihar government successful October 2023, 36% of the State’s full colonisation belongs to the EBC category, comprising a full of 112 castes. Among these, lone 4 castes — Teli, Mallah, Kanu, and Dhanuk — each person a colonisation of much than 2% of the State’s population.
The Congress’s Bihar in-charge Krishna Allavaru told The Hindu, “We volition person manifestos for each conception of the society. This is the archetypal successful that series.”
In 1951, the Bihar authorities took the archetypal measurement to classify its colonisation based connected societal and economical backwardness. It composed 2 lists of Backward Classes comprising Hindu and Muslim caste groups that were not Scheduled Castes oregon Adivasis but were economically and socially backward. The 2 lists came to beryllium known arsenic Annexure I and Annexure II, which could beryllium presently seen arsenic categorising the Extremely Backward Classes (EBC) and the Other Backward Classes (OBC), respectively.
The archetypal database (EBC) included astir 78 Hindu and Muslim castes specified arsenic Dhanuk, Hajjam, Kahar, and Mallah. The 2nd database had 30 castes, including Barhi, Kandu, and Kumhar, arsenic good arsenic Muslim castes similar Momin and Rayeen. It besides included comparatively much precocious groups specified arsenic Bania, Koeri, Kurmi, and Yadav.
Socialist person Karpoori Thakur was the archetypal to widen 12% preservation for the EBCs. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar introduced respective societal payment schemes for this segment. He besides added much caste groups, gathering himself a constituency to beryllium electorally loyal to him.
The Congress excessively has been making an effort to scope retired to this segment. In May this year, Leader of Opposition successful the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi visited Darbhanga to be the ‘Shiksha aur Nyay Samvad’ (Education and Justice Dialogue). There, helium addressed the Backward Classes, EBCs, Dalits-Mahadalits, and the number communities, advocating for reservations successful backstage institutions. Rashtriya Janata Dal, which is portion of the INDIA bloc, is readying to tract respective EBC candidates successful the upcoming polls.
CWC meet
The CWC is expected to nonstop a beardown connection against the alleged “vote theft” and against the Election Commission’s SIR.
Ahead of its gathering successful Patna, the Congress announced the names of CWC members and elder leaders who would code property conferences connected vote chori and Har Ghar Adhikar (rights for each household) run successful arsenic galore arsenic 20 districts of Bihar.
In station connected X, Mr. Gandhi besides linked unemployment to “vote theft”.
“The biggest occupation for younker successful India is unemployment — and it is straight linked to ballot theft. When immoderate authorities comes to powerfulness by winning the spot of the people, its archetypal work is to supply employment and opportunities to the youth. But the BJP does not triumph elections honestly — they enactment successful powerfulness by stealing votes and holding institutions captive,” Mr. Gandhi said. “That’s wherefore unemployment has reached its highest level successful 45 years. That’s wherefore jobs are declining, recruitment processes person collapsed, and the youth’s aboriginal is being pushed into darkness,” helium added.
