BJP Faces Delicate Caste Equation as Pawan Singh Considered for Rajya Sabha Seat

Patna: With the tenure of five Rajya Sabha members from Bihar coming to an end, political speculation is rife over who will fill these seats. Among the potential names is Bhojpuri cinema superstar Pawan Singh, nominated by the BJP. However, political analysts question whether his selection could disrupt the party’s delicate “forward-backward” (Agra-Pichhda) caste balance in the state.

Rajya Sabha Seats Coming Up

In the New Year 2026, the terms of five Rajya Sabha MPs will end:

• RJD: Prem Chand Gupta and AD Singh
• JD(U): Harivansh Narayan, Rajya Sabha Chairman, and Ramnath Thakur, Union Minister
• RLSP: Upendra Kushwaha, national president

These vacancies are expected to be filled by NDA candidates based on the strength of MLAs.

JD(U) and RLSP Strategies

JD(U) plans to re-nominate Harivansh Narayan and Ramnath Thakur, maintaining political balance between upper and backward classes. Meanwhile, RLSP sources indicate that Chirag Paswan aims to nominate his mother, Rina Paswan, to the Rajya Sabha, fulfilling prior seat-sharing commitments.

BJP’s Two Seats

BJP is poised to send two leaders to the Rajya Sabha. One confirmed nominee is party executive president Nitin Naveen. The second seat remains under discussion, with Pawan Singh emerging as a possible candidate. Singh, who actively campaigned for the BJP during the 2025 Assembly elections, could be rewarded for his efforts. However, political strategists caution that selecting him might risk upsetting caste equations, especially the party’s forward-backward balance.

Caste Dynamics in Play

Political corridors suggest that while one seat may go to an upper-caste leader, the other is likely reserved for an OBC candidate to maintain equilibrium. There are also talks of selecting someone from the Kurmi community, who felt overlooked this cycle, to ensure BJP’s backward caste outreach. Extremely backward communities are also under consideration for strategic balancing.

While nothing is confirmed yet, observers note that BJP may make unconventional choices in its drive for political gains, reflecting the party’s flexible approach to Bihar’s complex caste arithmetic.