Patna, October 12 (). Raghunathpur Assembly seat located in Siwan, Bihar is one of the few seats in the state which has the potential to decide the course of political equations in every election. This seat is of general category. It includes Raghunathpur and Hussainganj blocks as well as five gram panchayats of Hasanpura block. This area is situated in the rich alluvial plains of the Ghaghra River, where agriculture still remains the main basis of livelihood.
The fertile soil here is considered suitable for the cultivation of paddy, wheat and pulses. Socially it is a rural area dominated by small markets, Panchayat politics and traditional social structure.
Geographically, the distance of Raghunathpur from Siwan city is about 20 kilometers. Chhapra, the divisional headquarters, is located about 75 kilometers south-east of here, while Ballia Majh, on the border of Uttar Pradesh, is 45 kilometers away. Its distance from the capital Patna is about 150 kilometers. Siwan Junction railway station connects the region to other parts of the state and the country.
Raghunathpur assembly constituency was established in the year 1951. So far 17 assembly elections have been held here. This seat is one of the six assembly constituencies of Siwan Lok Sabha constituency. If we look at the political history, in the initial decades it was the stronghold of Congress, which won here eight times. After this, with the emergence of socialist and caste based parties in the politics of Bihar, the equation here also changed.
Apart from all this, Praja Socialist Party, Samyukta Socialist Party, Janata Party, Janata Dal, JDU, BJP and an independent candidate have also won this seat once each. In the recent two elections, Hari Shankar Yadav of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has registered consecutive victories, due to which this area is now considered a stronghold of RJD.
According to the data released by the Election Commission in 2024, the total population of Raghunathpur assembly constituency is 5,14,214, which includes 2,60,256 males and 2,53,958 females. At the same time, the total number of voters is 3,08,263, of which 1,57,722 are men, 1,50,530 women and 11 third gender voters. In the last several elections the voting percentage here has been between 53 to 55.
Raghunathpur is a balanced seat in terms of caste and political equations. Here Yadav, Rajput, Bhumihar, Brahmin, Paswan and Muslim voters play a decisive role. The strong alliance of Yadav and Muslim votes has benefited RJD in the last two elections.
JDU’s performance in the 2020 elections was weak. The upcoming assembly elections point towards a tough contest between RJD and NDA, where alliance strategy, local equations and voter mobilization will play a decisive role.
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PSK/ABM