Development over Caste
The first major election after Ayodhya verdict is being watched closely by the entire country. All major political parties are waiting to gauge the impact of the verdict on outcome. The political parties have so far downplayed the Ayodhya verdict in the runup to the election. This election is truly between the caste and development. The turnaround of the state, known as one of India's poorest and most lawless regions, is touted as an example of how India can shake off caste politics and promote new roads and power to win votes. Through the remarkable turnaround of Bihar economy, Nitish has shown that social justice ought to include material well-being, not merely caste empowerment. Kumar's road projects have helped the economy grow at an average of 11.35 percent annually between 2004 and 2009, compared with an annualised 3.5 percent in the previous five years. It has beaten national growth by several percentage points. The most visible sign of how much things have improved in what used to be a byword for national despair is that people walk at night on the roads in Bihar. The forthcoming assembly polls are quite clearly a battle between a man who ‘devoured’ Bihar and one who resurrected it. But would Chief Minister’s development card fully succeed in eliminating the caste politics? The results will give the answer.
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