Harnaut Assembly Seat: The Land of Nitish Kumar's Political Journey

Harnaut Assembly Seat: The Land of Nitish Kumar's Political Journey

If the name of any one assembly seat has been the most discussed in Bihar politics, then it is Harnaut Assembly Seat. This is not just a seat, but the story of political struggle and success, which made Nitish Kumar a prominent face of Bihar politics. Nitish Kumar entered politics from Harnaut and from here he laid such a foundation with his political skills, which is today considered an impenetrable stronghold of JDU.

Harnaut Assembly Seat: Geographical and Political Background

Harnaut Assembly Seat is located in Nalanda district of Bihar, which is also the home district of Nitish Kumar. This seat is very diverse from the social point of view. There is a considerable population of Kurmi, Yadav, Brahmin, Paswan, Mahadalit, Muslim and other backward classes here. This ethnic diversity makes this seat even more important from the political point of view.

Nitish Kumar's First Election: Victory Built on the Foundation of Defeat

In 1977, when there was a wave of Janata Party in the country and Indira Gandhi's government was facing opposition due to the Emergency, Nitish Kumar started his political career from Harnaut Assembly Seat. He contested the election on Janata Party ticket, but the result was not in his favor. He had to face defeat from independent candidate Bhola Prasad Singh. This defeat was very early in terms of his age – Nitish Kumar, just 26 years old, understood that politics is not just a game of waves, it is also the name of ground reality.

Impact of Belchi Massacre

One of the major reasons for the defeat in this election was the Belchi massacre, which took place a few kilometers away from Harnaut. Due to this caste violence, the distance between the Kurmi and Dalit community in the area had increased. Bhola Prasad Singh, who was working for the Kurmi community at that time, won the trust of the community. He helped the Kurmi community with arms licenses, electricity connections and flood relief work, which earned him tremendous support.

Nitish Kumar may have been associated with the JP movement, but he could not manage caste sentiments at that time. Arun Sinha's book "Nitish Kumar and the Rise of Bihar" explains in detail how Nitish's technical background and calm image went against him.

Repeated Defeat and Finally Victory

1980 Election: Second Failure

Nitish Kumar did not give up even after the defeat. He contested again from Harnaut Assembly Seat in 1980. But this time too he could not win. However, this election became a means of experience and ground connection for him.

1985 Election: Became MLA for the First Time

When Nitish Kumar contested for the third time from Harnaut Assembly Seat in 1985 on a Lok Dal ticket, he tasted victory. He defeated Congress candidate Brijnandan Prasad Singh by a huge margin and became a member of the Bihar Legislative Assembly for the first time.

Rise of Nitish Kumar and the Fort of Harnaut

1990: Independent Candidate Wins Again

After winning the Lok Sabha elections in 1989, Nitish left the Harnaut Assembly Seat. In the 1990 elections, independent candidate Brijnandan Yadav won, defeating Bhola Prasad Singh who contested on a Janata Dal ticket.

1995: Samata Party's Victory and Nitish's Return

In 1995, Nitish Kumar contested from Harnaut under the banner of Samata Party and won. He defeated Vishwa Mohan Chaudhary of Janata Dal. But this time too, he left this seat soon, because he wanted to work in Parliament as a Lok Sabha member.

By-election and the Foundation of JDU in Harnaut

After Nitish Kumar left the seat, in the by-election held in 1996, Arun Kumar Singh of Samata Party defeated Shishu Ranjan of Janata Dal by a huge margin. After this, Nitish's party registered continuous victory on the Harnaut seat.

2000: Continuous Success of Samata Party

In the 2000 elections, Vishwa Mohan Chaudhary of Samata Party defeated Sunil Kumar of RJD. This victory proves that Nitish Kumar's hold on Harnaut was getting stronger day by day.

Harnaut Assembly Seat Became JDU's Impregnable Stronghold

When Samata Party merged to form Janata Dal United (JDU) in 2003, JDU has continuously won the Harnaut Assembly Seat since then.

2005: Twice Election and Twice Victory

In the year 2005, assembly elections were held twice in Bihar. JDU's Sunil Kumar won both the elections in February and October and the party's hold became stronger.

2010, 2015 and 2020: Harinarayan Singh's Triple Victory

JDU's Harinarayan Singh won consecutively in three elections—2010, 2015 and 2020, making this seat a strong fort of JDU. He defeated the opposition parties by a huge margin every time.

Equation of Harnaut Assembly Seat

Caste equations have played an important role in Harnaut Assembly Seat. The Kurmi community dominates here, which has been Nitish Kumar's traditional vote bank. Apart from this, the support of Yadav, Dalit and Muslim voters is also decisive for the winning candidate.

Preparation for 2025: Will History Repeat Itself?

All parties have started preparing for the Bihar assembly elections to be held in 2025. Eyes are again fixed on Harnaut Assembly Seat. While JDU is trying to maintain its strong fort, parties like BJP, RJD and Congress are making strategies to break into this seat.

In 2020, JDU contested the elections in alliance with BJP under NDA, but the equations may change in 2025. In such a situation, it will be interesting to see whose flag flies on the Harnaut seat.

Conclusion: Harnaut, Not Just a Seat but the Beginning of Nitish Era

Harnaut Assembly Seat is the starting point of Nitish Kumar's political journey. This is the land where he started from defeat and wrote the story of victory. Harnaut is not only Nitish Kumar's political base but has also become a symbol of JDU's credibility.

It will be interesting to see in the upcoming elections whether Harnaut will maintain its tradition or write a new political chapter.