Bihar elections: From Tejashwi's Raghopur to Tej Pratap's Mahua, check top 10 high-stakes seats

Bihar Election 2025 Key Seats: Bihar awaits the results of its assembly elections, with exit polls predicting a clean sweep for the NDA, led by Nitish Kumar's JD(U). The opposition INDIA bloc, spearheaded by Tejashwi Yadav's RJD, contests these predictions, claiming a decisive victory. Key constituencies like Raghopur, Alinagar, and Siwan are under close watch as counting commences.

Bihar is awaiting the result of its biggest political battle as counting of votes polled in the recent assembly elections will decide whether JD(U) supremo Nitish Kumar, the state's longest-serving chief minister, will get a record fifth term or whether a change in government will be witnessed.

Bihar Elections 2025 Bihar Election 2025 Results Live Updates Check who is leading and trailing, constituency-wise Bihar registered a historic voter turnout of 67.13 per cent in the elections to the 243-member assembly in two phases on November 6 and 11.

Exit polls have been nearly unanimous in predicting a clean sweep for the NDA, of which the JD(U) is a part, much to the annoyance of the opposition INDIA bloc. Tejashwi Yadav, the young RJD leader whom the opposition coalition has named its chief ministerial candidate, rubbished these predictions and claimed Mahagathbandhan would form the government with a thumping majority.

The NDA in Bihar comprises five parties, though a bulk of seats, in the 243-strong assembly, were contested by JD(U) and BJP, both of which fielded candidates in 101 constituencies each. The INDIA bloc includes RJD, Congress, CPI(ML) Liberation, other Left parties, and Vikasheel Insaan Party (VIP).

Prominent candidates of both alliances who are in the fray include Deputy Chief Ministers Samart Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, RJD's Tejashwi Yadav, JJD's Tej Pratap and Bihar Congress president Rajesh Kumar.

Top 10 seats to watch out
Raghopur

RJD leader and Mahagathbandhan's chief ministerial face Tejashwi Yadav is gearing up for a high-stakes contest from the Raghopur Assembly seat, where he faces BJP's Satish Kumar of the NDA and Jan Suraaj Party's Chanchal Kumar. A Yadav stronghold, Raghopur has largely remained loyal to the RJD's first family since Lalu Prasad's win in 1995, barring the 2010–2015 term when the JD(U) held the seat. The constituency has since twice elected Tejashwi Yadav, who is now eyeing a third consecutive victory.

Alinagar

Folk singer and BJP's cultural face Maithili Thakur is making her electoral debut from the Alinagar constituency in Darbhanga district, where she will take on RJD's Binod Mishra and JSP's Biplaw Kumar Chowdhary in the first phase of the Bihar polls. By fielding the 25-year-old, the BJP is seeking to tap into Mithila's deep-rooted cultural pride and turn it into political strength. Thakur had joined the party in October, when the BJP announced its first list of 71 candidates for the Assembly elections. Alinagar has been an RJD stronghold for decades under veteran Abdul Bari Siddiqui, who won the seat seven times before stepping aside after his 2015 victory. In 2020, the constituency was won by VIP's Mishri Lal Yadav — a former RJD leader who joined the NDA — by a narrow margin of just over 3,000 votes.

Lakhisarai

The political landscape in Lakhisarai district is gearing up for an intense contest, with both its Assembly constituencies--Lakhisarai and Surayagarha- set to play a crucial role in the first phase of Bihar elections on November 6.

The region, known for its mining activities, will witness heavyweight leaders and debutants battling for voter confidence.

In the Lakhisarai constituency, BJP's Vijay Kumar Sinha, who has represented the seat since 2010 and served as Bihar's Deputy Chief Minister, is eyeing a fourth consecutive victory. He leader of the Bhumihar community, Sinha has been a dominant political figure in the district for over a decade.

He is challenged by Congress candidate Amaresh Kumar and new faces from non-political backgrounds, particularly Jan Suraaj Party's Suraj Kumar, both of whom aim to harness anti-incumbency sentiment and address local employment and mining issues.

Tarapur

In Munger district's Tarapur constituency, BJP leader Samrat Choudhary is gearing up for a closely fought battle against RJD's Arun Shah. The contest is expected to be intense, with Yadavs forming the largest voter group at around 63,000, followed by approximately 20,000 Muslims, 50,000 upper-caste voters (including Rajputs and Brahmins), 40,000 Kushwahas, 35,000 Sahs, and 28,000 Dalits.

Choudhary, currently a sitting MLC, is returning to the electoral fray after a 15-year gap, while Shah, who had contested the 2021 Tarapur bypoll, narrowly lost to JD(U)'s Rajiv Kumar Singh by just over 3,800 votes.

Siwan

Once a stronghold of former RJD leader Shahabuddin, Siwan remains one of the most closely watched constituencies in Bihar. No single party has managed to establish undisputed dominance over the Siwan Assembly seat, as multiple political forces continue to vie for control. Currently represented by RJD's Awadh Bihari Chaudhary, the constituency has a history of one-sided victories, though the past three elections have witnessed increasingly tight contests.

The Muslim-Yadav (MY) factor, which is the primary vote bank of Mahagathbandhan, is expected to play a decisive role in the upcoming battle, given that Muslims make up around 20% of the electorate. At the same time, the Yadav community also commands a substantial share of votes in Siwan.

The Mahagathbandhan has once again expressed its trust in RJD's Awadh Bihari Chowdhary; meanwhile, the National Democratic Alliance has fielded Bihar minister Mangal Pandey from the BJP, who comes from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh background. Targeting the significant chunk of the Muslim vote bank in the constituency, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen and Jan Suraaj have fielded Mohammad Kaifi Shamshir and Intekhaf Ahmad Jan.

Awadh Bihari Choudhary stands out as the most successful politician in the Siwan constituency, having represented it six times. Notably, he first held the seat in 1985 and won it successfully between 1985 and 2005.

Mangal Pandey, a seasoned BJP leader who began his political journey with the RSS in 1988 and formally joined the BJP in 1998, has served as a minister in multiple Nitish Kumar-led governments since 2013. Pandey is credited with contributing to Siwan's development through the establishment of a district hospital, though persistent doctor shortages remain a lingering concern.

Mokama

Anant Singh, alias ‘Chhote Sarkar', may be behind bars, but Mokama's political heat hasn't cooled. With the JD(U) strongman lodged in Beur jail over a violent poll clash, his wife and sitting MLA Neelam Devi has taken charge, backed by a force of women supporters. With just four days left for the first phase of polling, the 54-year-old seasoned campaigner is racing to connect with voters.

When Anant was disqualified in 2022 under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), she won the bypoll on an RJD ticket by over 16,000 votes. When CM Nitish Kumar flipped sides in 2024 from Mahagathbandhan to NDA, she switched to JD(U). The couple's love story—a whirlwind romance in the 1990s—has been Mokama's folklore.

Mokama's soil is soaked in strongman's lore. Anant, heir to the Nadawan gang's legacy after his brother Dilip Singh alias Bade Sarkar's 2000 killing, has ruled since 2005—flipping parties like pancakes, winning from jail in 2020 on an RJD ticket.

Historically dominated by Bhumihar leaders, the constituency's politics trace back to post-Independence days when Congress landlords armed musclemen. This 2025 rematch pits Anant against RJD's Veena Devi, wife of rival don Surajbhan Singh, the convicted strongman who held Mokama in 2000, in a Bhumihar-on-Bhumihar clash laced with old vendettas.

The fray has eight contenders, including Jan Suraaj's Piyush Priyadarshi (Dhanuk caste). Son of Mukesh Kumar Singh, he is no dynast; his affidavit shows a clean slate—no cases, modest assets—and a voter roll from Ghoraiya. Priyadarshi welcomed Anant's arrest as “late but good”, vowing a “clean Mokama”.

Analysts eye a split, Anant's core holds 55% Bhumihars, but Dularchand's death and OBC shifts could tip it. Voter turnout in 2020 was 54.01% .

Mahua

Independent MLA and former Bihar minister Tej Pratap Yadav, Lalu Prasad's estranged son, is set to contest from the Mahua constituency in Vaishali district in the first phase of the Bihar polls. He will be up against RJD's sitting MLA Mukesh Kumar Raushan and LJP's Sanjay Singh.

Tej Pratap, who was expelled from the RJD in May this year for “irresponsible behaviour” and straying from the party's core values, went on to launch his own outfit, the JJD (Jan Jagrukta Dal). His expulsion came soon after a controversial, now-deleted Facebook post where he claimed to have been in a 12-year relationship.

Having earlier won the Mahua seat in 2015, Tej Pratap is now trying to reclaim his political turf under the JJD banner, which is supported by five regional allies – the Vikas Vanchit Insaan Party (VVIP), Bhojpuria Jan Morcha (BJM), Pragatisheel Janata Party (PJP), Wazib Adhikar Party (WAP), and the Sanyukt Kisan Vikas Party.

Gaya Town

Gaya Town went polling in the second phase of the Bihar Assembly elections, with Bihar Co-operative Department Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) sitting MLA, Prem Kumar, looking to defend his seat.

Veteran BJP leader Prem Kumar, who has been the sitting MLA from Gaya Town since 1990, is again going up against Congress' Akhaury Onkar Nath after a contest between the two in 2020.

Prem Kumar, an Extremely Backward Caste leader, has had a strong hold over the seat. In the 2020 Bihar Assembly polls, he won by a margin of 9 per cent, gaining 66,962 votes out of the total 2,69,781 votes cast. Akhaury Onkar Nath had won 55,034 votes in the last polls.

In the 2015 and 2010 elections, Kumar won with margins of 17.7 per cent and 27.5 per cent, respectively.

The Kanu community and the EBCs are a factor behind Prem Kumar's winning streak, and he would like to consolidate his voter base in the ongoing polls as well..

On the other hand, the Congress candidate has seven pending cases against him.

While the last election was just a battle between the two, with NOTA winning the third-largest mandate in Gaya Town, Jan Suraaj's Dhirendra Agarwal would like to change that and bring a close fight against the BJP and Congress.

Both the BJP and Congress fought a close battle in 2020; Agarwal might be another factor to tilt votes this time.

The Jan Suraaj candidate has no pending cases against him. He holds movable assets worth Rs 18,75,09,166 and immovable assets worth Rs 52.75 crore.

Patna Sahib

the Patna Sahib constituency is gearing up for a highly contested assembly election with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress fielding new candidates in the electoral fray.

While the BJP is fielding 45-year-old Ratnesh Kumar (also known as Ratnesh Khushwaha), who declared an income of Rs 5,09,650 for the financial year 2024-2025.

The Congress is looking to a 34-year-old, Shashant Shekhar, to win the Patna Sahib constituency, which has been a BJP stronghold since 2010. He has declared an income of Rs 11,94,260 for the financial year 2024-2025.

The Patna Sahib seat has been a BJP stronghold since 2010, with Nand Kishore Yadav, the current Speaker of the Bihar Legislative Assembly, representing the constituency. However, Yadav is not contesting this time, having not received a ticket from the party.

While the BJP has kept this seat for over 15 years within the party, the introduction of a new face could make the elections a close contest with no single candidate having an established base in the constituency. However, Ratnesh Khushwaha is also known to be a close confidant of Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary.

While the constituency consists of Yadav, Kurmi and Baniya communities in the region, Baniyas are largely seen to be voting for the NDA.

In 2020, the constituency had a voting percentage of 52.25%, 1,88,259, from an electorate of more than 3.6 lakh people.

Patna Sahib will vote in the first phase of the elections on November 6. Meanwhile, the second phase of the elections will happen on November 11. The counting of votes is set to occur on November 14. Add as a Reliable and Trusted News Source Add Now!

Source: EconomicTimes
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