Nalanda Bihar Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Voting date, results, candidates, main parties, and schedule

Bihar Lok Sabha Election 2024- a file photo of Bihar elections Nitish Chirag Tejashwi

The Nalanda Lok Sabha constituency in Bihar comprises seven assembly constituencies: Asthawan, Biharsharif, Rajgir (reserved for Scheduled Castes), Islampur, Hilsa, Nalanda, and Harnaut.

For several consecutive Lok Sabha elections, Nalanda has been a stronghold of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's leadership. The Janata Dal-United (JDU) has nominated sitting Member of Parliament Kaushalendra Kumar once again as its candidate. Kaushalendra Kumar has won this seat three times in a row.

Nalanda's voters have consistently supported Nitish Kumar in past elections, and this time, the Left parties have joined forces with the Mahagathbandhan, which is being represented by the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation [CPI (ML)]. The CPI (ML) has fielded Sandeep Saurabh, who is the former General Secretary of the Jawahar Lal Nehru Students Union and a current Member of the Legislative Assembly from Paliganj.

Also Read: Mirzapur UP Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Voting date, results, candidates, main parties, and schedule

Historically, the Congress party held sway in Nalanda until 1971, after which the Communist Party of India (CPI) dominated. However, in 1996, George Fernandes of the Samata Party won the seat, breaking the CPI stronghold. Presently, JDU holds the seat.

In 2019, Kaushalendra Kumar contested on a JDU ticket and emerged victorious, securing 540,888 votes, defeating Ashok Kumar Azad of Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular). In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Kumar defeated the Lok Janshakti Party's Satya Nand Sharma.

The majority of voters in Nalanda are Kurmis, constituting around 26 percent of the electorate and forming the core support base of the JDU, followed by Yadavs. The number of Muslim voters is close to 2 lakhs, who were the voter base for Rashtriya Janata Dal and Congress in the constituency, but later JDU made inroads into it.

Elections in Nalanda will commence on July 1 in the last phase of Lok Sabha elections.