India, Oct. 29 -- Is caste the prism through which the 2025 Bihar assembly polls are to be interpreted? The more I travelled in the state this election season, it became clear that any narrow focus on caste to understand the electoral undercurrent in Bihar would only blind the viewer to the socio-political churn in the state. This is not to argue that caste has ceased to be one of the main barometers of the electoral mood in the state. It is definitely the canvas on which the main narratives are being painted, but, this time, caste isn't being foregrounded as it used to be for decades. It has been a determining factor in the political parties' choice of candidates, selection of star campaigners, even party spokespersons appearing on TV, for sure. But it does not appear to be driving the discourse this time, neither in the mobilisation by the political parties nor in the discussions among the masses. In conversations with a cross-section of the society, I observed voters placing a premium on performance of political parties in the fray, trust in leaders who are leading the campaigns, as well as promises and expected/actual delivery of benefits and social sector schemes. While appreciating the Nitish Kumar-led NDA government's performance in highway building, power availability and access, and infrastructure, the people hoped for an expanded bouquet of schemes that enhances their capacity for livelihood generation even as age-old problems in education and health care delivery are tackled. The Bihari electorate wants more schemes that will improve the human development indices in the state. This has enabled the NDA - which launched many social support schemes during its term and has promised new ones for women, youth, and marginalised social groups - to find a strong footing in the public discourse. The Mahagathbandhan, featuring the RJD, Congress and the Communists, is trying to capture public imagination by promising a slew of employment measures and Direct Benefits Transfer-based schemes. In this "war of promises", previous performance and public trust may sway the electoral choice of the people. A related factor is that the "poor" as a category for mobilisation has been almost entirely replaced by the "labharthis" (beneficiaries). The poor now position themselves as beneficiaries, nurturing aspirations of upward mobility with social support schemes providing the foundation for this. Statements such as "Je kuchh karee, okare vote diaayi" (We will vote for those who will do something for us) show rising beneficiary consciousness, especially among the marginalised communities. Even in the bastis (settlements of marginal communities), where CPI-ML (a constituent of the Mahagathbandhan) candidates with their political narratives largely centred on poverty and poverty alleviation are in the fray, the term "poor" hardly features in conversations. "Poor" had been turned into a political category with the Congress- and Left-led discourse after Independence. Now, the term "beneficiary" is preferred, signalling aspirations of support from the democratic State to improve socioeconomic conditions. This category shift has brought a drastic change in their subjective understanding and political preference. It seems to be the result of both the 1991 liberalisation that offered unprecedented opportunities and the delivery of benefits by the State with increasing efficiency. Against this backdrop, even as caste is fully present, it is clearly caste-plus that is driving political mobilisation. This churn seems even more interesting, viewed against the fact that a caste survey was conducted in the state, and was expected to bring the issue to the political centre stage. It is true that many numerically smaller extremely backward classes (EBCs) banded together as a larger social coalition to favour Nitish Kumar and the NDA. But, the Mahagathbandhan recently announced its EBC face, Mukesh Sahani of the Vikassheel Insan Party, as the deputy CM candidate. Whether these tactical manoeuvres will pay off electorally remains to be seen. An emerging beneficiary consciousness will likely influence political choice in a big way this election. And, issues like caste-based quotas and grievances with the special intensive revision of electoral rolls in the state, among the mobilisational ideas of the RJD and Congress, seem to find very little traction among an increasingly transactional public. Caste emotions may be a factor but the electorate is demanding more, and this may determine the outcome of polls 2025....