Political strategist Prashant Kishor has once again drawn national attention. In a remarkably short time, he has managed to reshape Bihar’s political conversation and capture public imagination. Some now ask whether this is Bihar’s “Kejriwal moment”— the stirrings of a new, assertive middle-class looking for an alternative politics.

Yet Bihar’s politics resists quick conclusions. Beneath the excitement on the surface lies a dense web of caste loyalties, regional identities, class inequalities, and historical continuities. What appears to be a wave may actually be a symptom of deeper social unrest. Understanding it requires patience and perspective, not hasty predictions.

Bihar remains a classic case of what scholars call a “frozen transition”— a prolonged and incomplete shift from feudalism to capitalism. The transition began decades ago but never reached maturity. The result is a strange coexistence of old hierarchies and modern aspirations that defines both the economy and politics of the state.

Politically, primordial loyalties continue to dominate. In the absence of a robust capitalist class, community elites act as brokers between the State and the people. Access to welfare, employment, and basic services depends less on citizenship and more on personal networks.

Many of these intermediaries emerged from modest backgrounds, propelled into politics through community mobilisation rather than........

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