Bihar, which has 40 Lok Sabha seats, recorded polling across eight constituencies today. The state had witnessed post-poll violence in Saran on May 21, in which a youth died and three others were severely injured after clashes between the RJD and the BJP workers, divided along caste lines of Yadavs and Rajputs, respectively. All four victims, belonging to the Yadav community, were allegedly hit by gunshots fired by members of the other community. 

In this episode, Newslaundry travelled to Patna to understand the mood in Bihar and speak to the BJP state president and deputy chief minister Samrat Chaudhary at the party’s state headquarters. The now-BJP leader began his political journey with the RJD during former CM Lalu Prasad Yadav’s regime and also served as the agriculture minister in Rabri Devi’s government. He turned to the BJP in 2018 and was given the charge of the party’s state president last year.  

The state’s prominent OBC face spoke to Newslaundry about the BJP’s poll plank, the reach of the central government’s schemes, the PM’s remarks on Muslims, reservations, apprehensions about changes in the constitution, nepotism within the BJP, and RJD’s Rohini Acharya's allegations regarding Chhapra violence. 

Chaudhary also spoke about the long pending demand to grant special status to Bihar and the contrast between the politics of Nitish Kumar and Narendra Modi.

Watch.