Amidst the buzz of the Bihar Assembly elections, all eyes are also on the Barhara seat in Bhojpur district. This assembly constituency falls under the Arrah Lok Sabha seat and has held general category status since 1951.
Barhara: As the Bihar Assembly Elections 2025 draw closer, political activities have intensified across every assembly seat in the state. The Barhara assembly seat in Bhojpur district is once again in the headlines. This seat falls under the Arrah Lok Sabha constituency and has held general category status since 1951. Located on the banks of the Ganges, this area is famous for its fertile agricultural land, but monsoon floods are its biggest problem.
Dominance of Social and Caste Equations
Caste equations have always been the pivot of electoral politics in the Barhara assembly constituency. Here, a significant impact of the ‘MY-Bihari’ (Muslim-Yadav) and ‘Luv-Kush’ (Kushwaha-Koeri) vote banks is observed. The NDA (National Democratic Alliance) focuses on Rajput, Brahmin, and EBC (Extremely Backward Classes) votes. The Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance, comprising RJD-Congress-Left) maintains its hold on Yadav, Muslim, and Scheduled Caste votes.
Election pundits state that the Kushwaha community's vote will once again prove decisive, and who gains the upper hand in 2025 will depend on their inclination.
2015 Elections – Mahagathbandhan's Victory
The current MLA from the Barhara seat is Raghavendra Pratap Singh (BJP). In the 2020 assembly elections, he defeated Saroj Yadav (RJD), who contested on behalf of the Mahagathbandhan, by approximately 5,000 votes. A wave in favor of the NDA swept across Bihar in that election, and its effect was clearly visible here too. In 2015, the situation was completely opposite. At that time, a Mahagathbandhan wave swept Bihar, and the Barhara seat also benefited. Saroj Yadav of RJD defeated BJP candidate Asha Devi by a large margin of 13,308 votes.
- In that election, RJD's vote share was 44.34%,
- while BJP received only 35.26% of the votes.
This result clearly indicates that the outcomes on this seat quickly reverse with changes in the political atmosphere and caste equations. The 2010 assembly elections also witnessed a very interesting contest in Barhara. At that time, Raghavendra Pratap Singh was the candidate from RJD, and he defeated Asha Devi of JDU by a narrow margin of just 1,083 votes. A total of 1,11,049 votes were polled that time, with a very slight difference between victory and defeat.
Electoral Equations 2025: What Do the Numbers Say?
In the upcoming elections, the Barhara assembly seat is once again set to be in the spotlight. The NDA will work on a strategy to strengthen its Rajput and Brahmin vote banks. The Mahagathbandhan will attempt to consolidate Yadav and Muslim votes, along with Dalit votes. The Kushwaha and Koeri voters – often referred to as ‘kingmakers’ – can play a decisive role this time too.
Political analysts suggest that if the Mahagathbandhan succeeds in attracting Kushwaha votes, the contest will become tough. Conversely, if the NDA manages to secure these votes, the incumbent MLA could win again.
