While many Indian urban literati are celebrating the embarrassment to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Bihar, drawing relief from the election results which brought him down a peg or two, there is another aspect that these people should consider.
The result has made it evident that at least in Bihar, identity and caste politics continue to hold sway. The Biharis have voted against the BJP and have asserted their caste identity, an aspect which has not changed over decades. The joy at Mr Modi’s defeat has to be tempered by this awareness.