In a recent piece, sociologist Satish Deshpande talked about a new opacity that’s creeping into the understanding of caste identities, and the changes that they are witnessing in a break from the decades of caste clarity. It pointed to complex political mobilisation among backward caste groups, but argued that there were no separate political entities within the upper castes despite economic differentiation. It noted that these groups within the upper caste fold were of crucial ideological significance.
However, fluidity in political behaviour can be traced among upper caste groups too, as the Bochacha assembly bypoll in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur demonstrates. The support base that helped RJD candidate Amar Paswan win the SC-reserved seat is interesting in this context.
