Bihar boasts of one of the most fascinating political histories in India. As the state heads to Assembly polls later this month, The Indian Express brings a series of articles that tell the history of Bihar politics through the tenure of its 23 chief ministers. This article tells the story of Bhola Paswan Shastri, Bihar’s eighth CM.Between 1967 and 1969, with no party enjoying an outright majority in the Assembly, Bihar witnessed intense political instability, with parties across the board manoeuvring to form or topple governments. One key tactic employed was to pit candidates from one group — often Other Backward Classes (OBC) or Scheduled Caste (SC) — against another.On March 18, 1968, the government of B P Mandal, which had the backing of the Congress, fell after losing a no-confidence motion. Seventeen Congress legislators, led by former Chief Minister Binodanand Jha, had defied the party whip to vote for the motion. They now sought to form an alternative government in coalition with the Samyukta Vidhayak Dal (SVD).Jha had built strong ties with MLAs from marginalised communities, in no small part due to his support for OBC leader Bir Chandra Patel’s candidature for Congress Legislative Party (CLP) against incumbent CM K B Sahay in 1967.Also Read | Bihar Chief Ministers | Mahamaya Prasad Sinha: The first non-Congress CMTwo figures close to Jha were Bhola Paswan Shastri, a SC from Purnea, and Daroga Prasad Rai, a Yadav from Saran. After Mandal’s government fell, Rai turned against Jha who then positioned Shastri as the CM candidate from his newly-formed Loktantrik Congress Dal (LCD).With support from a number of other non-Congress parties, Shastri was sworn in on March 22, 1968 — becoming the first Dalit CM of the state.***Shastri’s coalition comprised parties across the ideological spectrum, and with competing interests. Those in the government included the LCD, Praja Socialist Party (PSP), Samkyukta Socialist Party (SSP), Bharatiya Kranti Dal (BKD), the Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS), and the Communist Party of India (CPI). A few other parties, including the CPI(M), offered external support.Story continues below this adTo ensure stability, the partners agreed upon a 17-point common minimum program. Nonetheless, infighting was rampant and Shastri’s (first) stint as CM ended in only 95 days. (To be sure, this was longer than both his predecessors).Shastri’s resignation came amid pressure from Kamakhya Narain Singh of the Jan Kranti Party. Singh wanted certain portfolios that would suit his personal interests, and allow him to dilute pending cases against him. Amid his pressure, and general infighting in the coalition, Shastri resigned on June 25.He recommended the dissolution of the Assembly; the Governor, Nityanand Kanungo, accepted, and President’s Rule was imposed in Bihar for the first time since Independence.***But Shastri’s political journey was far from over. After months of President’s Rule, elections were held in early-1969. Congress slumped further to 118 seats, while SSP won 52, BJS 34, CPI 25, PSP 18, and Kamakhya Narain Singh’s renamed Janata Party 14.Story continues below this adCongress was now fractured into three main factions, led by K B Sahay, Mahesh Prasad Sinha, and Satyendra Narain Sinha, respectively. Several Congress MLA’s were also sympathetic to Jha’s LCD. The party High Command distrusted all of the above leaders.As an alternative, Harihar Singh, a Rajput elected from Nayagram, was chosen as the CLP leader and sworn in as the CM of a Congress-led coalition. But his government soon collapsed (More details will be provided in the next installment of this series).Shastri, leading the LCD, replaced him and once again took oath as CM on June 22, 1969. His coalition comprised LCD, Shoshit Dal, and the Forward Bloc, with external support from SSP, BJS, CPI, and BKD.Like last time, stability was nowhere to be found. As coalition partners quarrelled over cabinet berths, Shastri focused on poaching Congress defectors and forging new alliances. BJS withdrew support within 10 days, forcing Shastri’s resignation on July 1.President’s Rule was imposed once again.***Story continues below this adIn July 1969, the Congress split nationally into Congress (O), led by the party old guard, and Congress (R), led by Indira Gandhi. Post-split, the Congress supported a short-lived coalition led by Daroga Prasad Rai, a Yadav. This was followed by a brief tenure of Karpoori Thakur of the Socialist Party. (This will be discussed at length in subsequent installments of this series).Shastri, who had joined Congress (R), was sworn in as CM for the third time on June 2, 1971. Coalition partners once again pressed for favoured portfolios and policy concessions. But with the Congress (R) gaining strength nationally, this proved to be Shastri’s longest tenure as CM (lasting 221 days).Also Read | Why political dynasties are here to stayOn December 27, Shastri, on the advice of the high command, resigned as CM. The Assembly was dissolved and President’s Rule was imposed until fresh elections, which were held in March 1972. Congress would once again form the government but Shastri never became CM again.***Shastri’s time as the CM was marred by coalition infighting; indeed his governance achievements were limited amid political pressures from all sides. That said, Shastri introduced a flagship Rs 20 per month old age pension, and a scheme that would provide a stipend to tribal students.Story continues below this adAlso, before resigning, Shastri constituted a 20-member commission headed by freedom fighter and ex-legislator Mungeri Lal to provide suggestions for the upliftment of OBCs. Its report, submitted in 1976, was implemented by Karpoori Thakur who returned as CM from Janata Party in 1977, created wider debate and affected Bihar politics in coming decades.Hailing from the Bairgacchi village in Katihar (now in Purnea district), he remained a popular figure in northeastern Bihar. Today, there are multiple colleges and institutions named after him.Sgastri was elected to the Rajya Sabha after his chief ministerial stints, and served in the upper house for nearly a decade. He briefly served as Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha during the Janata Party government. He passed away in September 1984.Next: Harihar Singh: The CM who resigned before even his Cabinet was finalised