Bihar Assembly elections 2025: Key battles to watch out for as voting nears

Bihar Assembly elections 2025: The voting will take place on November 6 and November 11 for all 243 seats, with a tight contest expected between the NDA and Mahagathbandhan

Voting for the first phase of the Bihar Assembly elections is set to take place on November 6. Of the 243 constituencies in the state, 121 seats across 18 districts will go to polls in the first phase, while voting for the remaining 122 seats will be held on November 11.

 

The term of the current assembly ends on November 22. A total of 2,616 candidates are contesting across both phases.

 

NDA vs Mahagathbandhan in key contest

 

The 2025 Bihar Assembly elections is likely to see a direct contest between the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the Mahagathbandhan. The NDA comprises the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Janata Dal (United), Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) and Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM). The Mahagathbandhan alliance includes the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), the Congress, Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) and the Left parties -- CPI, CPI-ML and CPI(M).

 

 

In the 2020 Bihar Assembly elections, the NDA won 125 seats, while the Opposition alliance managed 110 seats.   

 

Bihar elections: Big names in the fray

 

The first phase will feature several high-profile candidates, including RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, his estranged brother Tej Pratap Yadav (Janshakti Janata Dal), Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary (BJP) and folk singer Maithili Thakur (BJP). In total, 1,314 candidates will contest in this phase.

Bihar Assembly polls 2025: Key battlegrounds to watch

1. Mokama

 

Mokama in Patna district continues to revolve around Anant Kumar Singh, the influential 'baahubali' politician who has won the seat four times, each for a different party.

 

• 2010: JD(U) – 44.1 per cent votes; 8,954 margin

• 2015: Independent – 37.4 per cent votes; 18,348 margin

• 2020: RJD – 53 per cent votes; 35,757 margin

 

In 2025, after legal troubles and a brief jail term, Singh rejoined JD(U)  -- the same party that gave him his biggest victory five years ago. He will contest against RJD’s Veena Devi. With only eight candidates in the fray, Mokama is expected to see a direct two-way contest.

 

2. Tarapur: Deputy CM’s tough challenge

 

In Munger district’s Tarapur, BJP’s Samrat Choudhary will face RJD’s Arun Shah in what is expected to be a tight race. The constituency’s voter base includes 63,000 Yadavs, 50,000 upper castes, 40,000 Kushwahas, 35,000 Sahs, 28,000 Dalits and 20,000 Muslims, The Indian Express reported.

 

Choudhary, a sitting MLC, is returning to the electoral field after 15 years. Shah had narrowly lost the 2021 bypoll by just over 3,800 votes to JD(U)’s Rajiv Kumar Singh.

 

3. Raghopur: Tejashwi Yadav stakes his claim

 

RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav, the Mahagathbandhan’s chief ministerial candidate, faces a high-stakes battle in Raghopur, his family’s traditional stronghold, against NDA candidate Satish Kumar (BJP) and Jan Suraaj Party’s Chanchal Kumar.

 

During the alliance manifesto release, Yadav promised a law guaranteeing a government job for one member of every family, with recruitment to begin within 20 months.  a move seen as a major poll pitch focused on employment.

 

The Yadav-dominated seat has largely remained with the RJD since Lalu Prasad’s 1995 victory, except between 2010 and 2015 when the JD(U) briefly held it.   

 

4. Mahua: Tej Pratap’s comeback attempt

 

In Mahua (Vaishali district), Tej Pratap Yadav, now leading the Janshakti Janata Dal (JJD), will take on RJD’s Mukesh Raushan and LJP’s Sanjay Singh.

 

Tej Pratap, expelled from the RJD earlier this year for “irresponsible behaviour”, had formed the JJD, an alliance of five regional outfits. He aims to reclaim his old seat, which he had won in 2015, under a new political identity.

 

5. Alinagar: Singer Maithili Thakur enters politics

 

In Alinagar (Darbhanga district), BJP’s Maithili Thakur, a 25-year-old folk singer, is contesting her first election against Binod Mishra (RJD) and Biplaw Kumar Chowdhary (JSP).

 

The BJP hopes to convert Mithila’s cultural identity into electoral strength. Alinagar has long been an RJD bastion, previously represented by veteran Abdul Bari Siddiqui. In 2020, the seat went to the VIP’s Mishri Lal Yadav (then part of the NDA) by just over 3,000 votes.

 

6. Arrah: A three-cornered fight

 

In Arrah, the battle is between BJP’s Sanjay Singh 'Tiger', JSP’s Vijay Kumar Gupta and CPI (ML)’s Quyamuddin Ansari.

 

Since 2010, Arrah has alternated between the BJP and RJD. BJP’s Amrendra Pratap Singh won in 2010 and 2020, while RJD’s Mohammad Nawaz Alam captured the seat in the 2015 bypoll.