The seat was a BSP bastion between 1996 and 2004 during which Mayawati won the seat thrice. In 2019, BSP candidate Ritesh Pandey won the seat for the SP-BSP alliance but switched over to the BJP in February this year and is now contesting from the party. He is being challenged by Lalji Verma, one of the founding members of the BSP and Mayawati's trusted lieutenant. Verma has been a seven-time MLA and minister in many BSP governments in the state. Currently, he is the sitting SP MLA from Katehari.
