Events

Register to attend via Zoom

The Politics Initiative at CPR is pleased to invite you to a pre-poll panel discussion on:

Social Profile of MLAs in Bihar Since 1962

Tuesday, 4 November 2025, 4:00 PM IST 

Panellists:
Nishant Ranjan, Data Journalist, Hindustan Times
Sarthak Bagchi, Assistant Professor, School of Arts and Sciences, Ahmedabad University

Moderator:
Rahul Verma, Fellow, CPR

This event will be held online via Zoom. Please register below to attend.

About the discussion:
The panel will discuss insights emerging from a database compiled by Nishant Ranjan and his collaborators — a longitudinal record of 3,629 MLAs elected across 15 assembly elections between 1962 and 2020. Built through months of on-ground research, the dataset opens up possibilities for a more textured understanding of Bihar’s political evolution — from the rise and decline of specific caste clusters to the ways patronage, party strategies, and shifting alliances have shaped representation over six decades. It also allows for probing questions: How stable are caste coalitions over time? Do sub-caste elites dominate within larger categories? And to what extent have new parties or leaders managed to breach old social boundaries?