NEW DELHI: As Bihar prepares for Assembly elections scheduled from mid-October to November, the Janata Dal (United) led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is stepping up efforts to recapture its lost ground in the politically sensitive Magadh region. Once a firm bastion of the NDA, Magadh slipped from the alliance’s grasp in the 2020 elections, delivering a serious setback to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his party.
Determined to reverse these losses, the JD(U) leadership under Nitish Kumar has shifted focus toward strengthening grassroots preparations. In an effort to reshape the political narrative, the Nitish government recently approved several big-ticket development projects in Gaya district. Party insiders suggest that these initiatives may improve JD(U)’s prospects locally, although political observers remain skeptical about whether infrastructure development alone will be enough to sway voters across Magadh.
An insider told The Sunday Guardian that organizational weaknesses were a major factor in the 2020 defeat. “Our booth-level network was not properly prepared, and this hampered our ability to mobilize voters. We ended up losing some constituencies by very narrow margins. This time, however, booth-level structures are being strengthened, and we are confident that both the JD(U) and the NDA will perform strongly in the Magadh division,” the source said.
Magadh’s political landscape has long been shaped by forward-backward caste equations, which are more pronounced here than in North Bihar. While Nitish Kumar had successfully consolidated a large segment of backward caste voters after 2005, this support shifted in 2020, largely benefiting the Mahagathbandhan. Analysts also cite Chirag Paswan’s rebellion against JD(U) as a factor that weakened the party’s electoral performance. Political pundits note that a lack of prominent local leaders could further challenge JD(U)’s prospects. “Across Magadh, there is currently no influential leader capable of swaying even one or two constituencies independently,” one analyst remarked.
The Magadh division comprises Gaya, Nawada, Aurangabad, Jehanabad, and Arwal districts, accounting for 26 of Bihar’s 243 Assembly constituencies. Despite its earlier reputation as an NDA stronghold, JD(U) failed to secure a single seat in 2020. The BJP contested 10 of the 26 seats but won only three, while Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) [HAM(S)], led by former Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, emerged as the NDA’s most successful partner in the region, winning three of five contested seats. The 2020 elections were particularly disappointing for JD(U). Contesting 11 seats, the party could not win any. In Ghosi, once a stronghold of former MP Jagdish Sharma, his son Rahul Sharma was decisively defeated by CPI(ML) candidate Ram Bali Yadav. In Rafiganj, JD(U)’s Ashok Kumar Singh finished third, and the party also lost Sherghati, another long-standing bastion.
A minor relief came in 2024 when JD(U) reclaimed the Belaganj seat in a by-election. A political observer told The Sunday Guardian that as campaigning gains momentum, JD(U)-led NDA faces the dual challenge of overcoming past losses and addressing entrenched social and caste divides. Whether the alliance’s renewed focus on grassroots organization and development projects will help reclaim Magadh remains one of the most closely watched aspects of the upcoming Bihar Assembly polls.
