NDA's Remarkable Turnaround in Bihar's SC Seats
The ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has achieved a spectacular performance in the Scheduled Caste-reserved constituencies during the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections, marking a dramatic improvement from the closely contested 2020 polls. The NDA secured 34 out of 38 SC seats, while the opposition Mahagathbandhan managed to win only 4 SC constituencies, a sharp decline from their 2020 tally.
Comparing 2020 and 2025 Performance
In the 2020 Assembly elections, the contest for SC seats was much tighter, with the NDA winning 21 seats against the Mahagathbandhan's 17. The political landscape has transformed significantly in five years, with the NDA increasing its SC seat count by 13, while the opposition alliance saw their representation drop by 13 seats.
The two Scheduled Tribe (ST) seats remained consistent with the 2020 results, with Congress retaining Motihari and BJP maintaining its hold on Katoria. Across all 40 reserved seats (38 SC and 2 ST), the NDA won 35 seats compared to the Mahagathbandhan's 5.
NDA Constituents' Impressive Performance
The JD(U) emerged as the leading NDA partner in SC constituencies, winning 13 out of the 16 SC seats it contested. The BJP achieved a perfect record, securing all 12 SC seats it fought. Chirag Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) won 5 of the 8 SC seats it contested, while Jitan Ram Manjhi's Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) maintained a 100% success rate by winning all 4 SC seats it contested.
Compared to 2020, the JD(U) showed the most significant improvement, increasing its SC seat count from 8 to 13. The BJP also improved its performance, rising from 9 SC seats in the previous election.
Mahagathbandhan's Disappointing Show
The opposition alliance faced a crushing defeat in SC constituencies. The RJD, despite contesting the highest number of SC seats at 20, managed to win only 4 seats. The Congress failed to secure any of the 12 SC seats it contested, while the CPI(M-L)L and CPI also drew blanks in their 6 and 2 SC seat contests respectively.
This represents a substantial decline from 2020, when the RJD had won 9 SC seats, with Congress and Left parties securing 4 each. The Mahagathbandhan's poor performance was further complicated by friendly fights in two constituencies - Raja Pakar where Congress faced CPI, and Sikandra where RJD and Congress contested against each other.
Vote Share Analysis and Political Strategy
Despite the poor seat performance, the RJD recorded the highest vote share across SC seats at 21.75%, followed by JD(U) at 19.07%, BJP at 15.84%, LJP(RV) at 9.17%, Congress at 8.48%, CPI(M-L)L at 6.4%, and HAM(S) at 4.91%.
Bihar BJP spokesperson Anamika Paswan attributed the NDA's success to welfare schemes specifically targeting Mahadalits implemented by the Nitish Kumar government. She noted that with caste playing a crucial role in voting behavior, major parties often allocate SC-reserved seats to allies dominant among local communities.
The return of Chirag Paswan's LJP faction to the NDA fold proved significant, unlike in 2020 when the undivided LJP contested separately and dented both JD(U) and RJD prospects without winning any seats itself.
Congress spokesperson Anshul Avijit acknowledged that while SC-reserved constituencies were traditionally Congress strongholds, coalition politics and consensus-driven seat negotiations led to wider distribution of these constituencies among alliance partners.
The 2025 Bihar election results demonstrate a substantial political realignment among Scheduled Caste voters, with the NDA's coordinated strategy and alliance management delivering unprecedented gains in reserved constituencies.
