In the 1960s, Ram Manohar Lohia of the Samyukta Socialist Party (Sansopa) coined the slogan:

“Sansopa ne baandhi gaanth, Pichchde paaven sau me saat, Raj paat hai kiske haath, Angrezi aur unchi jaath”
(“Who holds all the power now? The English-speaking upper castes. Sansopa vows that 60 of 100 seats will go to all the backward castes.”)

Decades later, the slogan has resurfaced in political discourse with the Bihar government, led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, a follower of Lohiaite ideology, releasing its caste survey data on October 2, coinciding with Gandhi Jayanti.

The survey pegged the Other Backward Classes (OBC) population in Bihar at 63.1 per cent, reigniting social and political debates across the country as parties gear up for the general elections next year. Analysts say the figures could reshape electoral strategies, particularly in mobilizing backward class voters, and have triggered discussions about reservation policies, political representation, and caste-based alliances at both state and national levels.