Even before the election bugle sounded, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, and Jan Suraj Party (Jasupa) convener Prashant Kishor visited the Magadh division to showcase their respective political strengths.
Gaya: Electoral activity has intensified in Bihar's Magadh division. Even before the upcoming assembly elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, and Jan-Suraj Party (Jaspa) convener Prashant Kishor have heated up the election atmosphere by marking their presence in Magadh's five districts: Aurangabad, Gaya, Jehanabad, Arwal, and Nawada.
Last time, the NDA's performance in Magadh was disappointing. In 2020, the NDA won only six out of a total of 26 seats, while the Mahagathbandhan secured 20 seats. This time, the challenge for the NDA is to forget its previous defeat and perform better, while the Mahagathbandhan is struggling to maintain its winning record.
NDA and Mahagathbandhan Equations in Magadh
In 2020, the NDA contested 11 out of 26 seats in Magadh. This included 11 JDU and 10 BJP candidates. The JDU succeeded in only three seats, while it did not even contest in Jehanabad. In the Mahagathbandhan camp, RJD, Congress, and ML found success on most seats. Jitan Ram Manjhi, under the leadership of Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM), performed best from the NDA side. He fielded a total of five candidates in Gaya, Jehanabad, and Aurangabad, three of whom won. In the by-election, Manjhi's daughter-in-law, Deepa Manjhi, became an MLA for the first time from the Imamganj seat.
The Mahagathbandhan secured four RJD and two Congress seats out of six in Aurangabad; three RJD and one Congress seat out of five in Nawada; three RJD and two ML seats in Jehanabad and Arwal; while in Gaya, the RJD won four seats.
NDA's New Strategy
This time, the NDA will enter the electoral fray with a different strategy. Candidates from allied parties appear active in Jehanabad district, which could change the electoral equations. The NDA is expected to perform better in Aurangabad, where it did not win any seats last time. In Nawada district, a reshuffle of tickets could alter the situation. In the heartland of Gaya, the Hindustani Awam Morcha holds dominance over three seats. Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi recently supported the sitting MLAs in his three key constituencies — Tikari, Imamganj, and Barachatti — at an NDA conference, making his intentions clear.
The victory in the Belaganj by-election indicated that JDU is also preparing to expand its influence in other assembly constituencies. Meanwhile, BJP currently holds only two seats. The Gaya Urban seat has been with Dr. Prem Kumar for 35 years, and the Wazirganj seat is also under the leadership of Birendra Singh. BJP's eyes are set on other assembly constituencies.
