In the recent Bihar Assembly elections, the ruling NDA won a decisive majority of reserved seats, marking a dramatic shift from the closely fought contest in 2020. Out of 40 reserved constituencies—38 for Scheduled Castes and 2 for Scheduled Tribes—the NDA secured 34 SC seats and one ST seat. The Opposition Mahagathbandhan won only four SC seats and one ST seat. This represents a significant collapse for the alliance, which had won 17 SC seats in 2020 against NDA’s 21. Regional parties on both sides contested the majority of reserved seats, reflecting Bihar’s caste-based voting patterns. The JD(U) and BJP led the NDA’s performance, while the RJD secured all four SC seats for the Mahagathbandhan. Congress and Left parties failed to win any reserved seats despite contesting multiple constituencies. The results highlight a major shift in Dalit voter preference toward the NDA alliance.
NDA Dominates Reserved Seats; Mahagathbandhan Struggles
The NDA constituents performed exceptionally well across reserved seats. The JD(U) won 13 of 16 SC seats contested, its best performance compared to eight seats in 2020. The BJP achieved a perfect record, winning all 12 SC seats it contested, up from nine in 2020. Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) secured five of eight SC seats, while the Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) won all four SC seats it contested. In contrast, the Mahagathbandhan faced a sharp decline. The RJD won all four SC seats for the alliance but contested 20 such constituencies. Congress failed to win any of its 12 SC seats, and the CPI(M-L)L and CPI also drew blanks in their contested seats.
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