The day of reckoning for the 2025 Bihar Assembly election has arrived. All eyes are on the Muslim-majority seats of Seemanchal. Seemanchal has become the experimental stage for Muslim politics in Bihar, where not just Congress, RJD, and JDU, but the Muslim political strategy of Asaduddin Owaisi is also being tested.
In the 2020 Bihar elections, Asaduddin Owaisi’s party, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM), stirred the political waters by winning five seats in Seemanchal. This time, with the Muslim vote as a focal point, the competition in Seemanchal is fierce among four major parties, raising the question of who will become the king of Seemanchal?
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Current seat standings in Seemanchal
Located in the northeastern part of Bihar, Seemanchal consists of Kishanganj, Araria, Purnia, and Katihar districts. Muslim voters constitute 30% to 65% of the electorate across Seemanchal's 24 seats. Congress is contesting 12 seats, RJD 9, VIP 2, and CPM (L) 1 seat, while the NDA's strategy sees BJP contesting 11 seats, JDU 10, and LJP (R) 3 seats. Moreover, AIMIM candidates are trying their luck on 15 seats in the Seemanchal area.
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Owaisi's reputation is at stake
Asaduddin Owaisi ventured into Bihar’s political landscape from Seemanchal. In 2020, by clinching five seats, Owaisi disrupted the Grand Alliance's political strategy. AIMIM claimed victory on the seats of Amour, Bahadurganj, Baisi, Jokihat, and Kochadhaman.
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On the five seats won by Owaisi's AIMIM, the Grand Alliance candidates were relegated to third position in Amour, Bahadurganj, and Baisi. In the 2020 elections, NDA secured 12 seats in Seemanchal (8 by BJP, 4 by JDU), the Grand Alliance bagged 7 seats (5 by Congress, 1 each by RJD and CPI-ML), and AIMIM captured 5 seats.
Detailed account of Seemanchal’s 24 seats
Seven seats in Purnia district
Purnia Sadar:
BJP's Vijay Khemka versus Congress's Jitendra Kumar.
Dhamdaha:
JDU’s Leshi Singh faces off against RJD’s Santosh Kushwaha.
Amour:
AIMIM’s Mohammad Akhtarul Iman, Congress candidate Jalil Mastan, and JDU's Saba Zafar are in the fray.
Baisi:
RJD's Haji Subhan, BJP’s Vinod Kumar, and AIMIM's Ghulam Sarwar contest.
Banmankhi:
Congress's Devnarayan Rajak squares off against BJP’s Krishna Kumar Rishi.
Rupouli:
RJD's Bima Bharti, JDU's Kaladhar Mandal, Jan Suraj's Amod Kumar, and Independent Shankar Singh are vying for votes.
Kashba:
Congress's Irfan Alam competes against AIMIM’s Afaq Alam and LJP's Nitesh Singh.
Seven seats in Katihar
Katihar:
A battle between BJP’s former Deputy Chief Minister Tarkishore Prasad and VIP's young face, Saurav Agarwal.
Kodha:
A contest between BJP MLA Kavita Paswan and Congress's Poonam Paswan.
Barari:
JDU MLA Vijay Singh versus Congress’s Tauseef Alam.
Manihari (Reserved):
A face-off between Congress's Manohar Prasad and JDU's Shambhu Suman.
Kadwa seat:
Congress MLA Dr. Shakeel Ahmed Khan competes against former MP JDU candidate Dulalchand Goswami.
Pranpur seat:
BJP MLA Nisha Singh, RJD’s Ishrat Parveen, and AIMIM’s Aftab Alam are in contention.
Balrampur:
CPI-ML’s Mehboob Alam, LJP’s Sangeeta Devi, and AIMIM’s Adil Hasan vie for victory.
Six seats in Araria
Araria:
Congress MLA Abidur Rahman, JDU's Shagufta Azim, and Independent former IPS Shivdeep Lande are in the race.
Jokihat:
RJD’s Shahnawaz Alam, Jan Suraj’s Sarfaraz Alam, JDU’s Manzar Alam, and AIMIM’s Murshid Alam contest.
Forbesganj:
A contest between BJP’s Vidyasagar Kesari and Congress candidate Manoj Kesari.
Sikti:
BJP’s Vijay Kumar Mandal squares off against VIP’s Harinath Pramanik.
Raninganj:
JDU MLA Achmit Rishi and RJD’s Avinash Mangalm are on the roll.
Narpatganj:
BJP’s Devyanti Devi competes against RJD’s Manish Yadav and Jan Suraj’s Janardan Yadav.
Four seats in Kishanganj
Kishanganj:
Congress’s Qamrul Hoda, AIMIM’s Shams Agaz, and BJP’s Sweety Singh are locking horns.
Thakurganj:
RJD’s Shoud Alam, AIMIM’s Ghulam Hasnain, and JDU's Gopal Agarwal are contenders.
Bahadurganj:
Congress’s Musabbir Alam faces AIMIM’s Tauseef Alam and LJP's Mohammad Kaleemuddin.
Kochadhaman:
It’s a contest between RJD’s Master Mujahid Alam, AIMIM’s Sarwar Alam, and BJP’s Veena.
