India, Nov. 15 -- Caste is one of India's original fault lines.

Seven decades after independence, the accident of birth continues to be the grim reality of millions of Indian lives, determining whether they get to sit on benches in classrooms or on the floor, if job interviews shrivel away in front of their last names, whether red ticks in front of their names in college registers condemns them to hostility from peers and professors, even whether they receive a decent, dignified burial.

Caste remains an alive, material concern for millions. It is no surprise, then, that caste is a main fulcrum in elections in any corner of India. But in Bihar, it gains additional salience. This is a state where over the last two decades, almost half of ...