New DelhiNovember 15, 2025 07:05 AM IST First published on: Nov 15, 2025 at 07:05 AM ISTThe 24 seats in Bihar’s Seemanchal region have gone largely with the NDA, with Muslim votes splitting between the Mahagathbandhan and Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM. This illustrates that regions with a high minority population are no guarantee that the Opposition will perform well.The Mahagathbandhan was unable to attract Muslim votes as a bloc in constituencies with a high concentration of Muslims and lost ground to the AIMIM in Seemanchal, which consists of the four districts of Purnia, Araria, Katihar, and Kishanganj. The NDA, on its part, however, was able to attract the larger chunk of Hindu votes in Seemanchal across the caste divide and was able to surge ahead in a region supposed to pose a demographic challenge.AdvertisementThe NDA won in 14 of the region’s 24 constituencies, with the BJP winning 7 seats, the JD (U) 5, and Chirag Paswan’s LJP (RV) 2. In the Mahagathbandhan, the Congress won 4 seats and the RJD 1, making the total tally of the Opposition alliance just five. The AIMIM bagged 5 seats, the same as its 2020 election tally.Seemanchal is demographically conducive for the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan with the Congress as a key constituent, given that the population of its core “M-Y (Muslim, Yadav)” base is higher here. However, the vote split ensured that even this region went with the NDA.The highest concentration of Muslims in the region is in Kishanganj at 67.89%, followed by Katihar at 44.47%, Araria at 42.95%, and Purnia at 38.46%.AdvertisementWhile the Congress’s strike rate was extremely poor overall, it put up its best performance in Seemanchal. While the Congress had little recall value across the state, Muslims in Seemanchal did have some sympathy for Rahul Gandhi and his party, The Indian Express had found in the region when poll campaigning was going on.The AIMIM — four of whose MLAs elected in 2020 switched to the RJD — won Bahadurganj and Kochadhaman in Kishanganj district, Amour and Baisi in Purnia district, and Jokihat in Araria district.In Jokihat, Shahnawaz of the RJD was fourth, behind the AIMIM, the JD(U), and Sarfaraz Alam of the Jan Suraaj. Sarfaraz is the brother of Shahnawaz and son of the late Taslimuddin, a strongman politician and former MP from the region.In 2020, the NDA won 12 seats in Seemanchal, the Mahagathbandhan 7, and the AIMIM 5. In other words, while the performance of the NDA has improved, that of the AIMIM remains the same and the Mahagathbandhan’s performance in the region, which is supposed to be a happy hunting ground for the alliance, has declined.