Seemanchal, a region in Bihar bordering Bangladesh and Nepal, comprises four districts—Purnea, Kishanganj, Araria, and Katihar—with significant Muslim populations ranging from 39 percent in Purnea to about 68 percent in Kishanganj. The area has traditionally supported the Congress and RJD's Muslim-Yadav alliance formula. However, in the 2020 assembly elections, Asaduddin Owaisi's AIMIM won five seats here, helping the BJP-led NDA secure 12 of the region's 24 seats while the opposition coalition held seven. Four of the five AIMIM legislators later switched to the RJD, raising questions about minority representation. As elections approach, the BJP's campaign focusing on illegal Bangladeshi immigrants has dominated political discourse, though local residents strongly contest these claims. The region's relatively large Muslim population has created space for open debate about whether the community needs a Muslim-focused party or should align with mainstream secular forces. Residents point to administrative failures rather than deliberate disenfranchisement in electoral roll revisions. Many express disappointment with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's silence on the Waqf law and perceived surrender to BJP pressure. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi enjoys visible support, with voters appreciating his focus on facts and secular approach. The political conversation reflects deeper questions about minority participation in democracy, proportional representation, and the risks of polarization in a diverse society.
Geography and Shifting Political Landscape
Seemanchal sits at the crossroads of international borders, sharing boundaries with Bangladesh through West Bengal and Nepal. The Bengali language appears on signboards, and locals speak Surjapuri, a blend of Bengali, Hindi, and Urdu. The region's four districts have historically been strongholds of Muslim support for Congress and the RJD's famous Muslim-Yadav formula. This pattern changed dramatically in 2020 when AIMIM secured five surprising victories, all within Seemanchal. The NDA alliance captured 12 seats—eight for BJP and four for JD(U)—while the opposition Mahagathbandhan won seven seats, with Congress taking five. The AIMIM's success proved temporary as four of five winning legislators crossed over to RJD afterward. This defection raised important questions about authentic minority representation and the effectiveness of community-specific political parties. The region's substantial Muslim demographic creates a unique political environment where the minority does not feel constantly cornered, allowing for more open political debate than in areas where Muslims form smaller percentages of the population.
Countering the Illegal Immigration Narrative
The BJP's ghuspaithiya campaign targeting alleged illegal Bangladeshi immigrants has become a major election issue, but Seemanchal residents strongly dispute these claims. At Jhanda Chowk in Line Bazaar, some voices echo concerns about illegal immigration. However, at nearby Kabristan Chowk, Kaisar questions the logic, asking if foreigners could really go unnoticed by neighbors during local elections. Shadaab explains that many Bengali-speaking residents arrived as refugees in 1971 and were officially settled by the government in refugee colonies. Kausar points out that if illegal immigrants exist, it represents the failure of the Narendra Modi government after 11 years of ruling at the Center. Mohammad Sabir Ansari asks what the border security force was doing, calling it merely an election issue. Mohammad Afzal Husain compares the BJP's rhetoric to frogs croaking in rain, saying the party cannot directly say Muslim so they use the term ghuspaithiya instead. Residents view the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls not as deliberate disenfranchisement but as evidence contradicting the BJP's immigration claims, challenging the party to produce proof of illegal Bangladeshis discovered through the process.
Debating Muslim Political Representation
The conversation about whether Muslims need a specifically Muslim party has opened up significantly in Seemanchal. In Baisi, where AIMIM won previously, Mohammad Ghiasuddin expresses frustration that despite voting for change, the AIMIM legislators switched to RJD, negating their choice. This time, he says Nitish Kumar's silence on the Waqf law, along with corruption, price rise, and unemployment, is driving demands for government change. Many acknowledge Nitish brought unprecedented development but feel his government surrendered to BJP pressure, evident in his acquiescence on the Waqf bill. Mohammad Moin appreciates that Owaisi speaks for Muslims while Tejashwi's RJD takes Muslim votes but denies fair representation, noting that where RJD fields Yadav candidates they invoke the Muslim-Yadav alliance, but where Muslim candidates run, Yadavs vote for BJP as Hindus. However, ward member Aslam argues that Muslims cannot form governments alone and must participate in the political mainstream. He points out BJP ruled Bihar for 20 years with Nitish through Muslim support, questioning why BJP gives tickets to every caste except Muslims while demanding Muslim votes.
Seeking Unity Beyond Religious Lines
In Kishanganj's Churipatti bazaar, businessman Sanaur Rashid offers a nuanced view of AIMIM's impact, saying Owaisi has both helped and hurt the community by providing new options and reducing helplessness, but his supporters' aggressive behavior damages democracy. Shamsher Alam from a motorcycle repair shop warns against Muslims doing what BJP has done with Hindus. He challenges AIMIM's argument about Muslims being 18 percent of Bihar's population deserving a deputy chief minister post, asking whether Muslims would then accept Hindus voting as 82 percent bloc. He emphasizes that if Hindus are a minority locally, they have relatives elsewhere who will be affected by Kishanganj politics, warning that Hindustan ki fiza khatre mein hai—the very atmosphere is under threat. He argues the focus should be on unemployment, economy, health, and education rather than percentage-based religious representation. Congress sees renewed support through visible goodwill for Rahul Gandhi, who residents praise for speaking facts, being secular, and not being parochial or casteist. The political discourse reveals an opening of difficult conversations about minority participation, equanimity, and the region's defiance of traditional stereotyping by the mainstream.
Source: Link