Here are the key seats to watch out for in this poll
Raghopur
Tejashwi Yadav./Image CNBCTV18.com file
It is believed to be the traditional stronghold of RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav’s family. In this election, Lalu’s son and Mahagathbandhan chief ministerial face Tejashwi Yadav will be contesting from this seat.
Tejashwi will face BJP’s Satish Kumar Yadav and Jan Suraaj Party’s Chanchal Singh.
Lalu won from this seat in 1995 and 2000, serving as Chief Minister both times. His wife, Rabri Devi, also represented Raghopur three times, in the 2000 by-election and later in the two assembly polls. Tejashwi has been the sitting MLA since 2015.
Mahua
Image: Twitter
Lalu’s elder son and expelled RJD leader Tej Pratap Yadav will contest from Mahua from his newly formed party, Janshakti Janata Dal.
The constituency has always had a strong Yadav vote base, with significant share of Scheduled Caste and Muslim voters. Tej Pratap first won from Mahua in 2015 but contested from Hasanpur in 2020. Currently, the seat is held by Mukesh Kumar Raushan, who is also the RJD’s candidate this time and will be facing Tej Pratap in Mahua.
Sanjay Singh from the Lok Janshakti Party led by Chirag Paswan and part of the NDA is also in the fray.
Harnaut
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar (PTI)
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar entered the Bihar Assembly from this seat in 1985, and since then, it has remained a stronghold for the JD(U). There were reports that Nitish may pass the baton to his son Nishant to contest from Harnaut, but that didn’t happen. The JD(U) has fielded Hari Narayan Singh from this seat, who will fight against Congress’s Arun Kumar and JSP’s Kamlesh Paswan.
Tarapur
Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary (Photo: @samrat4bjp)
Traditionally, a JD(U) stronghold, Tarapur is now with the BJP as part of the seat-sharing deal. Bihar Deputy Chief Minister and BJP leader Samrat Choudhary will contest from this constituency. Choudhary has called Tarapur his ancestral seat, giving the contest both political and personal weight.
The seat has a large presence of Kushwaha, Yadav, Muslim, and Scheduled Caste voters. Since 2010 JD(U)’s winning streak has made the party dominant in this area. Now, with the BJP taking charge of the seat, it is to be seen how the NDA fares.
Lakhisarai
Another keenly watched constituency will be Lakhisarai because it is the home ground of Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha, a senior BJP leader and the current Speaker of the Bihar Assembly.
Sinha is contesting for a sixth term.
The area is part of Munger region, where caste factors like Yadav, Bhumihar, and OBC voters, and development issues such as jobs and infrastructure, will play key roles.
Raghunathpur
The RJD has fielded Osama Shahab, son of late party strongman and former MP Mohammad Shahabuddin, from the Raghunathpur cconstituency in Siwan. The seat is currently represented by RJD MLA Hari Shankar Yadav.
Shahabuddin, a close associate of Lalu Prasad, fell out of favour with the party after his death in May 2021, when no RJD leader reportedly attended his funeral. His widow, Hena Shahab, has contested multiple times from the Siwan Lok Sabha seat — thrice on an RJD ticket (2009, 2014, 2019) and as an Independent in 2024. Although she lost again, her 2.93 lakh votes significantly dented the RJD’s prospects, pushing its candidate to third place.
