Bakhri (SC) assembly constituency of Begusarai district is once again at the center of political contest in Bihar assembly elections. Situated on the banks of the Gandak River, this area is known for its dense population, fertile soil and agriculture-based economy. The sandy-loamy soil here is considered ideal for the production of paddy, wheat, maize and pulses, while milk production and small scale industries are important sources of income for the local people.

The total population of Bakhri Assembly is about 4.83 lakh, which includes about 2.95 lakh voters. Of these, male voters are 1.54 lakh and female voters are 1.40 lakh, while 9 voters are from the third gender category. This area is SC reserved, hence 20 to 25 percent votes of the Dalit community are considered decisive in this election.

Floods destroy thousands of acres of crops every year.

Due to the majority of rural areas (about 85 percent), the problems here are mainly related to farming. Every year the flood of Gandak river destroys thousands of acres of crops, causing huge losses to the farmers and migration of a large number of labourers. Apart from this, irrigation, employment and flood control have been permanent election issues of this region.

CPI won this seat 11 times

The history of Bakhri Assembly has been interesting from the political point of view. Elections have been held 17 times so far in this constituency, formed in 1951. Among these, the dominance of the Communist Party of India (CPI) remained for a long time. CPI has won here 11 times, including eight consecutive wins from 1967 to 1995. In the initial phase, Congress also won thrice in 1952, 1957 and 1962.

BJP registered victory from this area for the first time in 2010.

For the first time in the year 2000, RJD broke the streak of the Left, but in both the elections of 2005, CPI made a comeback. In 2010, BJP won this area for the first time, while in 2015 RJD won. In 2020, the Grand Alliance left this seat for CPI and party candidate Manoj Kumar defeated BJP by only 777 votes.

This time BJP is again trying to break into the Left stronghold, while CPI is active to preserve its support base. The role of Dalit voters and who is more effective on rural issues will decide in whose hands the historical stronghold of Bakhri goes.

The Dalit vote bank has always been a ‘kingmaker’ in the politics of Uttar Pradesh. This is the reason that in every election, the race to hold this class intensifies. Now the Samajwadi Party (SP) has made a new bet to help Dalits and that is ‘vote theft’. On the instructions of Akhilesh Yadav, the party has completely activated its frontal organization Ambedkar Vahini. The aim of this is that by taking advantage of the weak grip of the BSP and making a political dent among the Dalits.

National President Mitha Lal Bharti says that we are doing village-to-village chaupal, telling people their rights and explaining that their votes are stolen in the election. This time the booth-booth has to be guarded, so that the voice of Dalits cannot be suppressed. Bharti gave the example of running the night in districts like Ghazipur and Chandauli and said that we are going door-to-door of Dalits. Will give the message of protecting the constitution and reservation and stop theft.

SP’s attack on BJP

This campaign of SP is seen directly attacking the BJP. Party leaders allege that the ruling party weakens the political strength of Dalits by misusing the electoral system.

At the same time, the declining credibility of BSP has given SP a big opportunity. This is the reason that the SP is making ‘vote theft’ electoral weapons to further strengthen the equation of PDA (Backward, Dalit, Minority). Political analysts believe that this strategy can create difficulties for both BJP and BSP.

What did the senior analyst tell?

Senior analyst Virendra Singh Rawat says that after ‘Save the Constitution’ and ‘Save Reservation’, ‘Save the vote’ is becoming the biggest slogan among the Dalits. SP is trying to become a new center of Dalit politics by giving it air. This is the most accurate opportunity to fill the void created by Mayawati’s weak grip.

Actually, the Congress raised the issue of vote theft in Bihar elections. Rahul Gandhi made it a weapon and mobilized opposition parties. Akhilesh Yadav has put the same agenda on the land of UP.

Now the entire focus of SP is to organize Dalits up to the booth level and unite against the BJP. It is clear that ‘vote theft’ has become a new slogan on Dalit land. How much impact this slogan will show in the election arena, it will decide the election of 2027.