Sitamarhi, Purnia & more… Key seats to watch out for in Phase 2 of Bihar elections

Bihar is heading to the polls again today (November 11). The second and final phase will see voters in 122 constituencies across 20 districts exercise their franchise.

As many as 1,302 candidates, including over half a dozen ministers in the Nitish Kumar-led government, are in the fray in the second phase. Their fates will be decided by 3.70 crore voters, who will choose between the two main alliances — the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the opposition Mahagathbandhan, Congress, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), and others.

Bihar saw a record voter turnout of 64.66 per cent in the first phase of the polls. The results for the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections will be declared on November 14.

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West Champaran, East Champaran, Sitamarhi, Madhubani, Supaul, Araria and Kishanganj — all of which share borders with Nepal — are among the districts going to cast their ballot tomorrow.

As Bihar gets ready to vote, we list the key contests to watch out for in phase 2.

Sitamarhi

The BJP has given a ticket to Sunil Kumar Pintu from Sitamarhi, a key swing seat. He was defeated by RJD’s Sunil Kumar Kushwaha in the 2015 Assembly polls by a margin of 14,722 votes.

The seat keeps shifting between the BJP and the RJD. The saffron party has dropped its sitting MLA, Mithilesh Kumar, to field Pintu from the constituency this time. To woo voters, the BJP has promised to build a grand temple, like the Ayodhya Ram temple, dedicated to Goddess Sita.

Bettiah

BJP’s Renu Devi is contesting the Bihar elections from Bettiah. She is currently the Minister for Animal and Fisheries Resources.

Renu Devi served as Bihar’s deputy chief minister from November 2020 to August 2022. She has won the Bettiah seats four times — 2000, 2005, 2010, and 2020. The BJP leader lost in the 2015 polls to Congress’ Madan Mohan Tiwari by a small margin of over 2,000 votes.

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This time, Renu Devi is facing Washi Ahmad of the Congress.

Bettiah, Bihar: Former Deputy Chief Minister and BJP candidate Renu Devi says, "The NDA has delivered and people are voting based on work. They do not want jungle raj; they want good governance..." pic.twitter.com/xhJFNUxZBY

— IANS (@ians_india) November 9, 2025

Gaya Town

BJP’s Prem Kumar is the NDA candidate from Gaya Town. He is trying to retain the seat, which he won in 2020 with 49.89 per cent vote share against Congress’ Akhauri Onkar Nath. Kumar has won from Gaya Town seven consecutive times since 1990.

Nath, who is also known as Mohan Srivastava, is once again challenging Kumar. Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) has fielded Dhirendra Agrawal in the race.

He is expected to influence the electoral fate of both the main contenders.

Kishanganj

Kishanganj in the Seemanchal region, which has a high Muslim population, will see a tough battle between Congress candidate Qamrul Hoda and the BJP’s Sweety Singh.

In the 2020 polls, Congress’ Ijaharul Hussain bagged the seat with 34.20 per cent vote share, besting the BJP’s Singh, who got a vote share of 33.42 per cent.

Hoda, then an All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) candidate, had cut into the opposition’s vote by polling 41,904 votes.

Now, he is with the Congress and is challenging JSP’s Ishaque Alam and AIMIM’s Shams Aghaz.

Araria

Abidur Rahman is fighting from Araria, which has a significant Muslim population, on a Congress ticket. He is up against Janata Dal (United) or JD(U)’s Shagufta Azim, JSP pick Farhat Ara Begum and AIMIM’s Manzoor Alam.

The NDA has raised the pitch of “illegal migration” in Araria, which battles poverty, migration and floods.

In 2020, Congress’ Rahman secured victory from the Araria seat by a massive margin of 47,936 votes against JD(U)’s Alam.

Purnia

BJP MLA Vijay Khemka is hoping to retain his seat for a third time. He is pitted against Congress’ Jitendra Kumar and JSP’s Santosh Kumar Singh.

Purnia is an NDA stronghold, which the alliance is seeking to win for the eighth time.

Other seats

Imamganj is Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM)’s founder Jitan Ram Manjhi’s turf. His daughter-in-law Deepa Kumari is in the race. She is facing RJD’s Ritu Priya Chaudhary, an architect, and JSP’s Dr Ajeet Kumar, a doctor.

In Gaya’s Belaganj constituency, JD(U)’s incumbent MLA Manorama Devi is in the fray against RJD’s Vishwanath Kumar Singh and JSP candidate Md. Shahabuddin.

Jehanabad, a Muslim-Yadav dominated area, will witness a tough fight between RJD’s Rahul Kumar, JDU’s Chandreshwar Prasad and Pashupati Nath Paras’ Rashtriya Lok Janashakti Party’s (RLJP) Pramod Yadav. The seat is a bastion of the RJD.