🎯 The Wait is Finally Over
After weeks of anticipation and breathless waiting, the Bihar election results were finally announced on the 14th. The NDA alliance, led by Nitish Kumar, achieved a landslide victory with over 200 seats combined between BJP and allied parties. The Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) was swept away in this electoral tsunami.
Congratulations to all winning candidates, and best wishes to those who lost—may you return next time with the right direction, right issues, and meaningful dialogue.
But this post isn't about who won or lost. It's about a deeply troubling trend that emerged after the results: educated people proudly counting MLAs (Members of Legislative Assembly) by their caste.
🎬 Prefer Watching? Here's the Hindi Video:
🎬 वीडियो देखें? यहाँ हिंदी में:
This blog is based on my YouTube video about Bihar elections and caste politics. If you prefer watching over reading, check out the Hindi video below!
👉 अगर वीडियो पसंद आए तो:
- 👍 Like करें
- 🔔 Subscribe करें: @prafulltalks
- 💬 Comment में अपनी राय दें
- 📤 Share करें दोस्तों के साथ
📖 Or Continue Reading the Complete English Analysis Below:
📖 Continue Reading the Complete English Analysis Below:
This needs to stop. Here's why.
🤔 The Problem: Pride in Caste-Based MLA Count
Immediately after the election results, a disturbing pattern emerged on social media and in private conversations. Self-proclaimed "educated" people started researching and proudly announcing:
"Our caste has X number of MLAs!"
"We did amazing! Look how many legislators belong to our community!"
"Our caste dominated this election!"
The questions we must ask:
- Do you really think any party can form a government based on votes from just ONE caste?
- Did only your caste members vote for "your caste" MLAs?
- What exactly are you achieving by this divisive celebration?
The answer to all three: Absolutely not.
🧩 The Reality Check: No Single Caste Wins Elections
Let's break down the mathematics and logic:
The Diversity of Every Constituency
Take any Legislative Assembly constituency in Bihar—or any ward in your own neighborhood:
| What You'll Find | Reality |
|---|---|
| Your neighborhood | Multiple castes live together |
| Your ward | Diverse communities coexist |
| Assembly constituency | Hundreds of different castes, religions, backgrounds |
| Entire Bihar | Incredibly diverse population |
Fact: No single caste has enough population in any constituency to win elections alone.
Who Actually Votes for MLAs?
When an MLA wins, votes come from:
✅ Development-focused voters (voted for progress)
✅ Leadership admirers (voted for CM candidate's face)
✅ Party loyalists (voted for party ideology)
✅ Issue-based voters (voted on specific policies)
✅ Yes, some caste-based voters (but they're just ONE segment)
Your caste alone didn't elect anyone. It was a coalition of diverse voters.
🎓 Why "Educated" People Fall for This Trap
Here's the irony: The loudest voices counting caste-based MLAs are the so-called "educated" class.
What Does "Educated" Really Mean?
Common Misconception:
- ❌ Having a degree = Educated
- ❌ PhD = Automatically wise
- ❌ Professional success = Progressive mindset
Reality:
- ✅ True education = Rational thinking
- ✅ Wisdom = Understanding social harmony
- ✅ Progress = Moving beyond divisive identities
Example: We call PhD holders "Doctor" and medical doctors "Doctor"—but having a title doesn't make you morally evolved. Some educated people have become intellectual extremists, using their knowledge to spread division rather than unity.
🚫 The Dangerous "Sleeper Cell" Mentality
There's a term in security called "sleeper cells"—agents who blend into society, waiting for orders to strike.
The caste-obsessed "educated" class behaves similarly:
| Sleeper Cell (Terrorism) | Caste Supremacists (Social Division) |
|---|---|
| Lives among normal people | Lives in modern society |
| Hidden agenda | Hidden caste superiority complex |
| Activates when ordered | Activates during elections |
| Plants bombs | Plants seeds of hatred |
| Destroys physical structures | Destroys social harmony |
I'm not comparing them to terrorists in severity—but the pattern of hidden agendas and strategic division is similar.
💭 Where You Can (and Can't) Celebrate Your "Caste Victory"
Where You'll Feel Comfortable:
✅ Among only your caste members
✅ In closed WhatsApp groups
✅ Private family gatherings
Where You'll Feel Uncomfortable:
❌ In mixed-caste gatherings
❌ Professional settings
❌ Public forums
❌ Diverse friend circles
Why the discomfort? Because deep down, you know this pride is divisive, petty, and ultimately meaningless.
🎯 Lessons from Great Leaders
What Prime Ministers Never Say
Take any successful leader—Narendra Modi, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Jawaharlal Nehru, Manmohan Singh—none of them ever attributed their victory to a single caste.
Why?
Because they understand the fundamental truth: Leadership requires uniting everyone, not dividing them.
When Modi became Prime Minister:
- He didn't say: "My caste made me PM"
- He said: "Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas" (Together with all, development for all)
When any CM takes oath:
- They don't say: "I represent only my caste"
- They say: "I'll serve all citizens of this state"
243 assembly seats in Bihar = 243 diverse constituencies = Millions of diverse voters
No single caste elected anyone. Period.
📚 Dr. Ambedkar's Lifelong Struggle
Let's talk about Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar—the architect of India's Constitution.
What Ambedkar Fought For:
- 🎯 Annihilation of caste system
- 🎯 Equality before law
- 🎯 Merit-based society
- 🎯 Social harmony
- 🎯 End to discrimination
He spent his entire life fighting AGAINST the very thing you're now celebrating.
When you count MLAs by caste and feel proud, you're undoing Ambedkar's life work.
Ask yourself: Would Ambedkar approve of your caste pride? Or would he be disappointed that even "educated" people haven't learned his lessons?
🛣️ The Road Belongs to Everyone: A Powerful Anecdote
Here's a real incident that perfectly illustrates the solution to caste arrogance:
The Story:
Setting: A road in Odisha
Characters:
- Pedestrian walking
- Cyclist ringing bell repeatedly
Dialogue:
Pedestrian (annoyed): "Why are you ringing so much? Is this your father's road?"
Cyclist (calmly): "Yes, this IS my father's road."
Pedestrian (shocked): "How is it your father's road?!"
Cyclist: "I voted for the Prime Minister of this country. He's like my father. So this road belongs to my father—and YOUR father too. Now what will you do?"
Pedestrian: Speechless.
The Lesson:
This applies to your caste pride too:
- You're proud of "your caste" MLAs?
- But who's the ultimate leader? The Chief Minister / Prime Minister.
- They don't belong to just YOUR caste—they belong to EVERYONE.
- They became leaders with votes from ALL castes, not just one.
So your "caste victory" is actually everyone's victory—and your pride is misplaced.
🗣️ Political Arrogance: A Cautionary Tale
Let me share an example of what happens when arrogance meets reality.
The Chhapra Candidate Story
Background: A first-time candidate from Chhapra constituency
His Statements During Campaign:
- "We will come and change the government!"
- "No one born of a mother can defeat me!"
- "I can even erase the lines written by Brahma (destiny)!"
His Behavior:
- Overconfident speeches
- Dismissive of opponents
- Arrogant body language
- Made personal attacks
The Result:
- Lost badly to Chhoti Kumari (a woman candidate)
- She won without making noise, just through work
- His arrogance backfired spectacularly
The Moral:
Arrogance has no place in democracy:
| What Works | What Doesn't Work |
|---|---|
| Humility | Arrogance |
| Track record | Empty boasts |
| Respecting voters | Dismissing opponents |
| Ground work | Just speeches |
| Serving people | Serving ego |
As the saying goes: "Pride comes before a fall."
This candidate learned it the hard way.
🌱 A Message to the Youth: You Are the Future
Dear young people of Bihar and India,
The future of this country rests on YOUR shoulders. Past generations have been stuck in the same cycle:
❌ Caste pride
❌ Division politics
❌ Us vs Them mentality
❌ Pulling each other down
It's YOUR responsibility to break this cycle.
What You Can Do:
1️⃣ Reject caste-based thinking
- Judge people by character, not caste
- Form friendships across communities
- Marry for love, not caste compatibility
2️⃣ Focus on real issues
- Vote for development, not caste
- Support candidates with vision
- Hold leaders accountable for work, not identity
3️⃣ Educate others
- Challenge caste pride when you see it
- Explain why merit matters more
- Lead by example in your circles
4️⃣ Build bridges
- Don't let elders' prejudices influence you
- Create diverse friend groups
- Celebrate our differences while staying united
Remember: The saying "We're drowning, so we'll pull you down too" represents the OLD mindset. You must refuse to drown—and help others swim instead.
🧠 Understanding True Democracy
What Elections Are Really About:
Democracy is NOT:
- ❌ My caste vs your caste
- ❌ We won, you lost
- ❌ Majority domination
- ❌ Revenge politics
Democracy IS:
- ✅ Representation for all
- ✅ Policies that benefit everyone
- ✅ Merit-based leadership
- ✅ Inclusive development
- ✅ Unity in diversity
The 243 Seats Reality Check:
Bihar Assembly has 243 seats:
| Composition | Reality |
|---|---|
| Total seats | 243 |
| Ruling party | Forms government |
| Opposition | Provides accountability |
| All MLAs | Represent DIVERSE constituencies |
| No single caste | Can claim majority |
Every MLA is elected by multiple castes working together.
Your caste alone didn't achieve anything. Collective voting did.
🎭 The Hypocrisy of Caste Pride
Let's be honest about the double standards:
What You Do:
In Public:
- Talk about equality
- Quote Ambedkar
- Claim to be progressive
- Support anti-discrimination laws
In Private:
- Count MLAs by caste
- Feel superior about numbers
- Make caste-based jokes
- Discriminate in marriage, business, friendships
This is hypocrisy. And it's destroying our society.
💡 The Path Forward: Practical Steps
For Individuals:
- Stop counting MLAs by caste (it's meaningless)
- Judge politicians by their work (development, honesty, vision)
- Vote for competence, not community
- Raise children without caste consciousness
- Call out caste pride when you see it (even in your own family)
For Society:
- Promote inter-caste marriages (break the barriers)
- Create mixed-community housing (diverse neighborhoods)
- Education reform (teach equality from childhood)
- Media responsibility (stop caste-based news)
- Political parties must stop caste calculations
For Political Parties:
- Select candidates on merit, not caste equations
- Campaign on issues, not identity
- Inclusive governance
- Punish leaders who make casteist statements
- Transparent ticket distribution
📊 Quick Summary
| Issue | Problem | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Caste-based MLA counting | Creates false pride and division | Focus on collective progress |
| Educated class promoting it | Betrays true education's purpose | Use education for unity |
| Youth following old patterns | Perpetuates cycle | Break free and lead change |
| Political arrogance | Disconnects leaders from reality | Stay humble, work hard |
| Hypocrisy | Public progressivism, private casteism | Consistent values |
🎯 Final Thoughts: Choose Your Legacy
You have two choices:
Choice A: Old Mindset
- Count your caste's MLAs
- Feel temporary pride
- Continue divisions
- Leave the same problems for your children
Choice B: Progressive Mindset
- Celebrate all MLAs who work for development
- Build an inclusive society
- Break caste barriers
- Create a better future for next generation
Which will you choose?
💬 One-Line Summary:
No single caste wins elections in a democracy—victory comes from diverse communities voting together for development and leadership, making caste-based pride both factually wrong and socially harmful.
📝 Your Turn: Reflect and Act
Ask yourself these questions:
- ✅ Have I ever felt proud about "my caste's" representation in politics?
- ✅ Do I judge politicians by their caste or their work?
- ✅ Am I teaching the next generation to think beyond caste?
- ✅ Do I practice what I preach about equality?
- ✅ Am I part of the problem or part of the solution?
Honest answers will guide your path forward.
🔥 Call to Action
If this message resonated with you:
- 📺 Watch the full Hindi video on my YouTube channel: @prafulltalks
- 💬 Share this post with someone who needs to read it
- 🗨️ Comment below: What's your take on caste-based politics?
- ✅ Subscribe to my blog for more social commentary
- 🤝 Take a pledge: I will judge people by character, not caste
Together, we can build a better, united India. 🇮🇳
0 Comments
We’d love to hear your thoughts. Feel free to comment below!