New Delhi: As voters in Bihar exercising their franchise on 121 seats of state assembly, under the first phase of Bihar elections, votes are also being polled on 40 assembly seats of Patna and Saharsa divisions.
The Patna administrative division of the state includes Patna, Nalanda, Buxar, Bhojpur, Rohtas and Kaimur districts where polling is being held in all districts barring Rohtas and Kaimur under the first phase.
The Saharsa administrative division consists of three districts Saharsa, Madhepura and Supaul where votes are being casted in both Saharasha and Madhepura.
There are many high-profile seats in both the administrative division ranging from Patna Sahib to Nalanda to Mokama in Patna division to Singheshwar, Madhepura and Sonbarsha. Here are the details about who is contesting from where on the top seats of both the division.
Patna Sahib: – One among the key assembly seats in the capital region, Patna Sahib constituency is being represented by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Nand Kishore Yadav since 2010.
Yadav though has vacated the seat this time for a fresh face and the BJP has fielded Ratnesh Kushwaha from the constituency against Mahagathbandhan’s candidate Sasahant Sekhar of the India National Congress (INC).
Other than the NDA and the Mahagathbandhan, Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) led by Prashant Kishore, Janshakti Janata Dal (JJD), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and National Congress Party (NCP) have also fielded their candidates from the assembly constituency.
Mokama: – One of the most debated seats of the administrative division, the electoral battle in Mokama is being fought between the Janata Dal United (JDU), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and JSP.
The JD(U) here has fielded strongman Anant Singh who was arrested by the police recently in connection with a FIR registered against him, the RJD on the other side has fielded Veena Devi, former Lok Sabha MP and wife of another strongman Surajbhan Singh.
The JSP has handed over ticket to Priyadarshi Piyush with AAP candidate Dr. Rajesh Kumar also in the fray. The assembly seat was won by Neelam Devi, wife of Anant Singh in the 2022 by poll on RJD ticket. In 2020 Anant Singh had emerged victorious from the constituency on RJD ticket.
Vikram: – The Vikram assembly constituency in Bihar this time is witnessing a contest between Sidharth Saurav, a former INC MLA who had switched to BJP in early 2024 and Anil Kumar of INC. Kumar had contested the seat independently in 2020 and was runner up to Saurav.
Other than the NDA and Mahagathbandhan, JSP’s Mantu Kumar, JJD’s Ajeet Kumar and others are also in the fray from the assembly seat.
Danapur: – The assembly constituency of Danapur is yet another hot seat in the Patna administrative division. Here the RJD has fielded Ritlal Yadav who is in jail and facing multiple cases. Yadav who registered a win from the constituency in 2020 is up against senior BJP leader Ramkripal Yadav and JJD’s Pappu Rai.
The contest here is considered one of the key battles with senior leaders from both the NDA and Mahagathbandhan were seen campaigning for their respective candidates.
Nalanda: – Other than the assembly constituencies in the capital region, Nalanda is another seat worth mentioning. Here the contest lies between NDA candidate Shravan Kumar of the JDU, Kaushlendra Kumar of INC and others.
Kumar, a senior leader of the Nitish Kumar led party has been representing the seat since 2010.
Buxar: – The battle of Buxar for the 2025 assembly polls has also gained attention with NDA fielding former IPS Anand Mishra from the seats. Mishra was formerly associated with JSP who has fielded Tathaghat Harsh Vardhan from the seat.
Here, the Mahagathbandhan has given ticket to Congress leader Sanjay Kumar Tiwari with BSP’S Abhimanya Kushwaha and AAP’s Dharmraaj Singh also in contest.
Saharsa division
Sonbarsha: – The Sonbarsha assembly seats in Saharsa is one among the few Scheduled Caste (SC) reserve seat in the Saharsa division. Here, the Mahagathbandhan’s candidate is Congress leader Sarita Devi who is up against NDA’s candidate Ratnesh Sada from JDU.
Sada, a senior leader and minister in CM Nitish Kumar led cabinet had emerged victorious on the assembly constituency in 2020.
Madhepura: – Madhepura is another notable constituency in Saharsa division of Bihar. Here JDU’s Kavita Kumari Saha is locking horns with RJD leader and former education minister Chandrasekhar Yadav who had secured a win from the seat in 2020 assembly polls.
Other notable seats
Other than the aforementioned constituencies, there are many other assembly seats which are expected to witness a high-stake battle such as the Rajgir, Digha, Jagdishpur and Arrah assembly constituencies under the Patna Division and Singheshwar, Saharsa and Bihariganj constituency of Saharsa division.
The second phase of assembly polls will take place on November 11 on 122 remaining seats with results of the assembly polls scheduled to be announce on November 14.
