Bihar Election 2025: Tough Battle in Saharsa Between BJP, IIP, and Jan Suraj Candidates

Bihar: This time in the last phase of the Bihar Assembly elections, the contest for the Saharsa Assembly seat has become interesting. This time a triangular contest is being seen on this seat, traditionally considered the stronghold of BJP. BJP's sitting MLA Alok Ranjan Jha is trying to save his seat, while Indian Inclusive Party (IIP)'s Inderjit Prasad Gupta (IP Gupta) and Jan Seva Party (JSP)'s Kishore Kumar are in the fray.

New challenge in BJP's fort

In the 2020 elections, Alok Ranjan Jha defeated RJD's Lovely Anand by a huge margin. Four out of the last five elections have gone to BJP's account. But this time the equations are different. With the entry of IIP chief IP Gupta into the fray, the contest for BJP on the Saharsa seat is no longer easy.

Who is IP Gupta?

IP Gupta, who is a leader of the 'Pan Samaj' (Tanti-Tatva community), came into the limelight in recent months when he demonstrated his strength by holding a rally at Gandhi Maidan in Patna. It is said that only after his rally, Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav proposed thatjoin the Grand Alliance.

Under the agreement, IIP has been given three seats—Saharsa, Jamalpur, and Beldaur. Gupta himself is contesting the elections from Saharsa, and it is believed that due to this, the Grand Alliance can get a big benefit from the Tanti-Tatwa vote bank.

Political history of Saharsa seat

Saharsa is part of the Mithila region and is called the “Land of a Thousand Streams.” This is a fertile area situated on the banks of the Kosi River, which faces floods every year. Saharsa has a long history politically, but its independent Lok Sabha seat was abolished in 2008, which locals still consider a result of political discrimination.

Saharsa's vote equation

There are 69.46% rural and 30.54% urban voters in this assembly constituency. Of these, about 12% are Scheduled Caste and 14.6% Muslim voters. JDU (BJP alliance) had gotten the lead here in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, but now the entry of IIP has created a new stir in the social and caste equations.

Voting continues, women's enthusiasm high

Voting has been going on in Saharsa since morning, and long queues are being seen at the polling stations. Especially the enthusiasm is clearly visible among women voters. The administration has made elaborate security arrangements, and a control room has been set up at the district level to deal with any untoward incident.