Patna, October 31 (IANS). Sasaram of Bihar, which was once the capital of Sher Shah Suri, today has its own identity in the politics of the state. In the 16th century, Sher Shah Suri defeated the Mughal emperor Humayun and seized power, making Sasaram the capital of the Sur dynasty. His reign is considered a glorious era in Indian administrative history. The foundations of the taxation system, postal services and landmark projects such as the Grand Trunk Road (GT road) were laid on this land. Sasaram was made the headquarters of Rohtas district in 1972. It was created in 1972 by splitting it from the old Shahabad district. This historically and culturally rich area is still considered the center of politics, education and social consciousness of Bihar. There is a high literacy rate here, but despite this this assembly constituency is still not untouched by caste voting tendencies. This assembly seat falls under Sasaram Lok Sabha constituency, which is reserved for scheduled castes (SC). This Lok Sabha constituency consists of a total of 6 assembly constituencies, of which 3 are located in Sasaram district and 3 in Kaimur district. Sasaram assembly constituency is completely of general category but politically the Kushwaha (Kuri) community has had the maximum influence here. From 1980 to 2015, that is, during about 35 years, almost all the MLAs who were elected or became runners-up from this seat were from this community. Electoral history shows that voters in Sasaram prefer caste identity to party or ideology. Apart from this, Bhumihar, Yadav, Dalit and Muslim voters also have a significant share, giving a new twist to the equation in every election. Sasaram Assembly was established in 1957 and till now 17 assembly elections have been held here. Parties belonging to the Samajwadi stream (Samyukt Socialist Party, Janata Dal, JDU etc.) have won 10 times. Apart from this, BJP won 5 times, while Congress won 2 times. The Congress could not create its permanent support base in this area. Since 2000, this seat has become the center of a tight contest between BJP and RJD. The BJP has won three times in a row, but the RJD emerged victorious in both the 2015 and 2020 elections. In 2020, RJD candidate Rajesh Kumar Gupta confirmed RJD’s dominance by defeating Ashok Kumar of JDU. However, the BJP has taken the lead in the same constituency in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, suggesting that the political tide may turn again in Sasaram. According to the data released by the Election Commission in 2024, the total population of Sasaram is 6,09,797. Of these, 3,12,484 are men and 2,97,313 are women. The total number of voters is 3,57,849. The voters include 1,85,909 men, 1,71,934 women and 6 third genders. Historically and administratively rich, Sasaram still faces many challenges. The condition of roads and irrigation facilities is poor. There is dissatisfaction in rural areas about education and health infrastructure. Issues of employment and migration remain persistent. The problem of water logging and cleanliness around the city are also included in the local election issues. –IANS PSK/ABM