Bihar poll results: NDA gains as Muslim votes split in Seemanchal

The NDA surged ahead in Bihar’s Seemanchal region, winning 14 of its 24 Assembly seats after a decisive split in Muslim votes between the Mahagathbandhan and Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM. The outcome underscores a hard political truth: even regions with high minority populations no longer guarantee a united Opposition vote.

Spread across Purnia, Araria, Katihar, and Kishanganj, Seemanchal has long been seen as fertile terrain for the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan, powered by its traditional Muslim-Yadav (M-Y) base. But this election saw that coalition unravel.

The AIMIM’s appeal cut deep into the Muslim vote, while the NDA consolidated Hindu voters across caste lines, giving it a decisive edge in a region once considered demographically challenging for the ruling bloc.

Congress outperforms RJD in its strongest zone

In a surprise twist, the Congress — routed throughout Bihar — registered its strongest showing in Seemanchal, winning four seats compared to just one for the RJD. Local goodwill for Rahul Gandhi during the campaign helped the party retain some recall value in a landscape where it has otherwise diminished.

The AIMIM held steady with five seats, matching its 2020 performance. Its victories came in Bahadurganj and Kochadhaman (Kishanganj), Amour and Baisi (Purnia), and Jokihat (Araria). In Jokihat, the RJD’s candidate lagged in fourth place—behind the AIMIM, JD(U), and Jan Suraaj’s Sarfaraz Alam, brother of the RJD nominee and son of late strongman MP Taslimuddin.

Demographics fail to translate into votes

Seemanchal’s heavy Muslim population — 67.89% in Kishanganj, 44.47% in Katihar, 42.95% in Araria, and 38.46% in Purnia—had once provided the Mahagathbandhan a natural advantage. Yet the fragmented minority vote, combined with the NDA’s broader Hindu consolidation, overturned traditional assumptions.

In contrast to the Mahagathbandhan’s seven-seat tally in 2020, the alliance slumped to just five this time, even as the NDA improved its previous count of 12. The AIMIM’s consistent showing further highlighted how the Opposition’s lack of cohesion allowed the NDA to tighten its grip on a region once viewed as a formidable barrier to its rise.