Campaigning for the first phase of Bihar Assembly Elections 2025 ended on November 4. Voting will be held on 121 seats in this phase. There is a tough contest on key seats like Mokama, Raghopur, Mahua between muscle power, family prestige and celebrity faces.
Campaigning for the first phase of Bihar Assembly elections 2025 ended at 5 pm on Tuesday (November 4). Now the candidates will have only ‘door-to-door’ contact before voting and the peace period has come into effect. Voting is to be held on a total of 121 assembly seats in this phase, in many of which the political temperature has reached its peak. Especially everyone’s eyes are on Mokama, Raghopur, Mahua, Tarapur and Alipur seats. Here the competition is not only between parties, but also between claims of muscle power, family prestige and development.
1. Mokama – bastion of strongmen, center of political riot
Mokama seat has become a symbol of Bihar’s strongman politics this time too. Here JDU’s strongman Anant Singh and RJD’s Veena Devi (wife of strongman Surajbhan Singh) are face to face. The political roots of both the parties are deep and their supporters are full of enthusiasm. The atmosphere became more heated on the last day of the campaign when an FIR was registered against Union Minister Lalan Singh. The people of Mokama are seeing this as a clash between two strongmen. Where power, popularity and caste equations will prove to be decisive.
2. Raghopur – Battle for Tejashwi Yadav’s reputation
This time everyone’s eyes are on Raghopur seat, because it is the seat of Grand Alliance Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav. Tejashwi has put in all his strength here, but the challenge from independent candidates including BJP’s Satish Kumar Yadav and Tej Pratap Yadav’s Janashakti Janata Dal candidate has made the contest interesting. This is the same seat where Lalu Yadav started his political innings and now the next chapter of the family is being written on the same land.
3. Mahua – The inner ‘Mahabharata’ of Lalu family
This time the contest in Mahua is not only political but also familial. Here two factions of Lalu family are face to face. On one hand, Tej Pratap Yadav is in the fray with his new party Janashakti Janata Dal (JJD), while on the other hand, RJD’s Mukesh Kumar Roshan has got the direct support of Tejashwi Yadav. Tej Pratap is campaigning in his typical style, “Religion has to be established, real Laluism has to be saved.”
4. Tarapur – High-voltage contest of ‘Deputy CM vs RJD’
Two big poles of power in Bihar are face to face on Tarapur seat. Here the reputation of BJP’s Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary is at stake. RJD’s Arun Kumar is in the fray against him, who is getting strong support from the Grand Alliance. This seat is being considered as a political litmus test for BJP because if the party lags here, it will have a direct impact on the morale of the government. At the same time, this is an opportunity for RJD to prove that there is real dissatisfaction among the public against the Nitish-BJP alliance.
5. Alipore – Folk Singer’s Examination
Alipur seat is in the election discussion this time because popular folk singer Maithili Thakur has stepped forward as a BJP candidate. Opposite him is RJD’s Vinod Mishra, who is relying on local issues and caste equations. Maithili Thakur’s popularity and her clean image have made this seat both glamorous and emotional. Here the public wants to see whether the star power of social media can defeat ground politics.