Modi in Bihar Tests Shahabad Soil’s Deepening Red Shade

Shahabad Region in Bihar Emerges as Key Poll Battleground

By MANISH ANAND

NEW DELHI, May 30, 2025 – Shahabad in Bihar sprung a surprise in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, voting against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The land, known for decades of social upheaval, sent political tremors as far as the Magadh region of Bihar.

Modi is scheduled to address a public meeting in Karakat on Friday. Here, the Prime Minister is expected to reiterate his development-driven poll plank, highlighting the unveiling of ₹50,000 crore worth of projects during his two-day visit to Bihar.

However, the Shahabad region appeared unimpressed with Modi’s claims of transforming Bihar through the “double-engine” model of governance—referring to National Democratic Alliance (NDA) governments both at the Centre and in the state. Upendra Kushwaha, a junior minister during Modi’s first term, suffered a resounding defeat in the Karakat parliamentary constituency.

Raja Ram Singh of the CPI (ML) defeated Kushwaha. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also faced setbacks in neighboring districts. RK Singh, a former IAS officer and Union Minister in Modi’s second term, lost the Arrah Lok Sabha seat. The BJP also lost Buxar and Sasaram. The political tremors in Shahabad even impacted the Patliputra parliamentary constituency, which also slipped from BJP’s grasp.

The BJP’s election machinery stumbled in Shahabad. The CPI (ML) emerged as a giant killer, winning both Arrah and Karakat. Notably, the party crowdfunded its campaign, collecting just ₹20 from each household, yet managed to outmaneuver the ruling NDA. The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress also gained momentum from this political churn.

For decades, Shahabad has been a hotspot for social conflicts between landless laborers and large landowners. Several districts in the region have previously been classified as Left-Wing Extremism (LWE)-affected.

Unlike Uttar Pradesh, where the BJP slipped to the second spot behind the Samajwadi Party in the 2024 general elections, Bihar broadly backed Modi—except for Shahabad. Political observers see the region’s rebuke as a significant warning signal for the BJP.

In many other constituencies across Bihar, the BJP’s victory margins shrank to less than one-third of those in the last two general elections. The anti-saffron sentiment that swept Shahabad also spilled into neighboring regions, albeit with diminished intensity.

Now, Modi returns to the epicenter of that anti-saffron sentiment, promising development and transformation. But as political observers note, promises alone do not stir Bihar’s voters.

In 2015, Modi urged the people of Bihar to quantify their expectations, backing his campaign with statistics. Just a few months ago, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar concluded a statewide yatra, promising ₹60,000 crore worth of projects. Modi, on his 50th visit to Bihar as Prime Minister, is now unveiling ₹50,000 crore worth of development initiatives.

Yet, the NDA’s two rising challengers—Tejashwi Yadav (RJD) and Kanhaiya Kumar (Congress)—are attempting to corner Modi’s development narrative with a single, pointed question:
“Where are the jobs?”

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About The Author

Manish Anand

Manish Anand is a senior journalist with more than two decades of hardcore reporting on beats such as Prime Minister’s Office, Parliament, BJP, Congress, Planning Commission, NITI Aayog, and scores of Union Ministries.

His past has been with The New Indian Express, The Asian Age/Deccan Chronicle, and The Statesman.

For about 15 years, Manish was also a regular commentator and host for talks on AIR on foreign affairs.

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