Geographically, Narkatiya is located in the fertile plains of East Champaran near the Nepal border. The terrain is flat and shaped by the Burhi Gandak River and its offshoots, which also bring periodic flooding. Agriculture forms the backbone of the local economy, with paddy, wheat, sugarcane and maize being the principal crops. Vegetable cultivation along river-adjacent stretches supplements income.
The constituency remains largely rural, punctuated by small market towns and local trade centres. Facilities such as rice mills, fertiliser depots and cold storage units support the agrarian framework, though broader industrial development remains limited. Seasonal migration and daily wage labour are common, with remittances contributing to household earnings.
The Chhauradano railway station connects Narkatiya to Muzaffarpur and Raxaul via the Muzaffarpur–Sitamarhi–Raxaul line. Nearby towns include Motihari (24 km), Raxaul (49 km), and Mehsi (42 km), while Birgunj in Nepal is approximately 55 km away, serving as a key gateway for cross-border trade and transit.
In the 2020 Assembly elections, Narkatiya had 287,950 registered voters, including 77,170 Muslims (26.80 percent). The number increased to 301,604 in the 2024 parliamentary polls. Voter turnout has remained steady across election cycles, with an identical 63.56 percent in both 2015 and 2020.
Narkatiya’s electoral behaviour shows a distinct contrast between Assembly and Lok Sabha elections. The RJD has comfortably retained the Assembly seat since 2015. Shamim Ahmad won in both 2015 and 2020, the latter by a margin of 27,191 votes. The party polled 85,562 votes, while LJP’s 20,494 votes, though significant, did not affect the outcome.
In parliamentary elections, however, the BJP has maintained a steady lead in the Narkatiya segment. Sanjay Jaiswal led over Congress candidate Madan Mohan Tiwari by 6,103 votes in 2024, marking a steep decline from his 24,586-vote lead in 2019 and 14,582 in 2014. These figures suggest that voters apply different yardsticks when choosing their representatives for the Assembly and the Lok Sabha.
A united NDA may pose a stronger challenge in 2025, particularly with the LJP's return into the NDA fold, after splitting the ruling alliance's vote share in 2020. However, the RJD’s grassroots hold and established voter base make Narkatiya a battleground where every vote will need to be earned.
(Ajay Jha)
