The Burhi Gandak River flows approximately 14 km from Sarairanjan, influencing its predominantly agrarian economy. Rice, wheat, maize, and pulses are widely cultivated, while vegetable farming also contributes significantly. Farmers grow potatoes, onions, and tomatoes, and dairy farming plays a notable role in the local economy. The town serves as a major trading hub for nearby villages, where farmers sell their produce.
Established in 1967, the Sarairanjan Assembly constituency is part of the Ujiarpur Lok Sabha seat. It comprises the Sarairanjan and Vidyapati Nagar community development blocks.
In its relatively short political history spanning 14 Assembly elections, Sarairanjan voters have supported various political parties, except the Communists, who have never won this seat. The Janata Dal (United) and Rashtriya Janata Dal have won the seat three times each, while the Samyukta Socialist Party, Janata Party, and Janata Dal have secured victory twice each. The Congress party and Bharatiya Jana Sangh have each won once.
Sarairanjan is a general seat with a purely rural electorate and no urban voters. In the 2020 Assembly elections, it had 281,041 registered voters, of which 19.14 percent belonged to the Scheduled Caste community, while Muslims accounted for 10.40 percent. The constituency has seen a relatively satisfactory voter turnout, with 60.91 percent participation in 2020. The number of registered voters increased marginally to 282,825 in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, reflecting migration trends as many youths move to other towns in Bihar or other parts of India for employment due to the lack of industries. Election Commission records indicate that 2,721 registered voters shifted from this constituency between 2020 and 2024.
A review of its electoral history suggests that the JD(U) and RJD are the primary political forces in Sarairanjan. The RJD won the seat three times consecutively (2000, February 2005, and October 2005), followed by three consecutive victories for the JD(U), including in 2015 when the party allied with the RJD after ending its ties with the BJP.
In Lok Sabha elections, however, the BJP appears to be the preferred choice among Sarairanjan voters, securing the majority of votes in this Assembly segment. This trend was evident even in the 2014 polls when the BJP and JD(U) contested against each other.
In the 2020 Assembly elections, the JD(U)’s victory margin was far from comfortable, shrinking to 3,624 votes from the substantial 34,044-vote margin in 2015. This decline was partly due to the LJP’s presence, which secured 11,224 votes, making the contest tighter but not enough to defeat the JD(U). Similarly, in the Lok Sabha polls, the BJP’s lead of 52,211 votes in 2019 reduced to 19,442 votes in 2024. The shrinking victory margins of the BJP-led NDA, which includes the JD(U) and LJP, serve as a warning that while the NDA may still hold an edge over the opposition RJD-led alliance, it cannot afford complacency or take its victory in the 2025 Assembly elections for granted.
(Ajay Jha)
