The decision followed an unprecedented victory in the last Assembly election, which analysts attribute to a big shift of vote of this around 30 per cent population from RJD, Congress, CPI (ML) and LJP to the NDA.
The EBCs rewarded Nitish Kumar for giving 20 per cent reservation in the urban and rural local bodies just after getting elected for the first time in 2005. Now, it is felt, that this move is going to further consolidate his vote bank. The next panchayat election is due shortly and the urban local bodies would go for poll next year.
Not only that the state government has decided to allot three decimals of land to the Dussadh sub-caste of the Dalits. It was the only sub-caste among Dalit, which had not been included in the Mahadalit category. Observers are of the view that if the state government actually takes these decision it would cut the ground from under the feet of Ram Vilas Paswan too, whose LJP fared badly in the Assembly election.
As if that was not enough the state government has recently decided to set up a Commission for the upper castes. Before the last Assembly election the upper castes were showing their inclination towards the Congress, which in all practical purpose virtually got wiped out in Bihar. This move is likely to have an impact on the upper castes of the state as they are now much disillusioned by the way the Congress leaders squandered a chance to make a comeback.
Observers are of the view that recent announcements had more to do with further consolidation of votes at the grassroots level than keeping in mind the next Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. The grassroots consolidation would naturally yield results at the upper level too.

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