Samastipur: Samastipur has witnessed a historic moment in the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections. JDU leader Ashwamedh Devi has become the first woman MLA from the constituency, breaking a decades-long pattern and giving women their first direct representation in the Assembly from this region. Her win has been seen as an emotional and proud moment for many residents, especially women who have been demanding stronger political participation.
The contest in Samastipur attracted attention across the state because RJD’s Akhtarul Islam Shaheen had earlier won this seat three times in a row. Many expected him to secure a fourth straight victory. However, Ashwamedh Devi turned the tables by defeating him with a large margin of 13,875 votes. According to the final results, Ashwamedh Devi received 95,728 votes while Shaheen managed 81,853. The performance reflects a clear shift in voters’ mood and a strong desire for political change.
The constituency witnessed the participation of several other candidates as well. Independent candidate Chetna Jhamb received 6,193 votes and Manoj Kumar Singh of the Jan Suraj Party got 4,938. Rajan Kumar of the Aam Aadmi Party received 1,715 votes, while candidates from BSP, Plurals Party, Socialist Unity Centre of India and others together added to a diverse electoral environment. Interestingly, 4,527 people opted for NOTA, showing dissatisfaction among a section of voters.
Counting trends also indicated Ashwamedh Devi’s strong performance from the very beginning. In the first round itself, she received 5,288 votes against Shaheen’s 2,255. The lead kept increasing steadily until the eighth round, where she was already ahead by 18,087 votes. After receiving the election certificate from the Returning Officer, there is growing speculation that she may soon be given an important position in the state government due to the significance of her win.
