Bihar Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Key parties, past results, constituencies and more

With forty parliamentary seats, Bihar holds a crucial position in forming the government at the Centre.

With forty parliamentary seats, Bihar holds a crucial position for political parties in forming the government at the Centre. The state witnessed a significant political change in January this year when Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, also the leader of Janata Dal (United), ended ties with its regional ally Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and joined hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party.

It was the second time in ten years that the JD(U) chief switched sides, promising to stay in the NDA fold permanently and continue working for the people of his state.

His decision not only reshaped Bihar’s political landscape but also dealt a blow to the fledgling opposition Indian National Developmental Alliance (INDIA) bloc, which he had helped form and was even briefly discussed as the PM candidate.

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His move has raised hopes for the NDA to repeat its 2019 performance when it won 39 of the 40 seats in the state. Bihar’s importance lies in Narendra Modi’s bid for a third consecutive term as prime minister in 2024.

The BJP is counting on Prime Minister Modi’s popularity, along with seeking votes from various backward classes in the state. Moreover, the Centre’s decision to confer the Bharat Ratna on former Bihar chief minister Karpoori Thakur, who pioneered job quotas for backward classes (OBC), is expected to benefit the BJP.

In the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls, the RJD led by Tejashwi Yadav has aggressively targeted Nitish Kumar, accusing him of compromising with ideology and questioning whether there is a guarantee that Nitish Kumar won’t switch sides.

Yadav has been aggressively campaigning across Bihar for his party, alliance partners Congress and Left parties to secure a comfortable majority in the state.

Read more: The Karpoori Thakur legacy and the BJP-JD(U) battle for the Lower OBC vote

In the 2019 general elections, the BJP, JD(U), and undivided Lok Janashakti Party (LJP) fought together, winning 39 of the 40 seats. The BJP secured 17 seats, JD(U) 16, and LJP 6. However, in the 2014 Lok Sabha election, JD(U) contested alone and won only two seats, while the BJP, in alliance with Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP) and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), won 31 seats.

Visual representation of the seats won by different political parties in the state of Uttar Pradesh in 2019 Lok Sabha election

With the BJP setting a target of 370 seats for itself and over 400 seats for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), Nitish Kumar’s performance remains crucial for his party’s survival in the state. Key constituencies in Bihar include Muzaffarpur, Sitamarhi, Madhubani, Muzaffarpur, and Saran.