The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday released its first list of 71 candidates for the upcoming election for Bihar’s 243-seat Assembly. Former Union Minister from the RJD and Rajya Sabha MP Ram Kripal Yadav has been fielded from Danapur. Two Deputy CMs Samrat Chaudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha will contest from Tarapur and Lakhisarai. Ministers Nitin Nabin and Renu Devi have been fielded from Bankipur and Bettiah, respectively. Shooter and Asian Games medallist Shreyasi Singh will contest from Jamui seat.
Jan Suraaj Party’s second list of candidates: Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) announced its second list of candidates for 65 seats for the upcoming Bihar polls. However, Kishor’s name is not on this list. Last week, JSP announced the first list of candidates with 51 names for the state’s 243-member Assembly. This takes total number of declared nominees to 116 — with 26 for reserved constituencies (25 SC, 1 ST) and 90 for general seats.
First phase voting on November 6: The first phase of the Bihar Assembly elections will take place on November 6, with the second phase of voting on November 11. More than 7.4 crore electors of the state will cast their votes. The counting of votes will take place on November 14.
On Bihar elections, BJP MP VD Sharma says, "All the developments that have taken place under the leadership of PM Modi and Nitish Kumar, this election is an election to put a stamp on development... This Bihar, which is moving towards development, will become golden Bihar in the future... The election list, which has been released today, and the candidates who have been selected, will create a history of victory in the elections."--ANI
Curtains were virtually down on speculations that Prashant Kishor may contest against Tejashwi Yadav, as the Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) on Tuesday declared its candidate from Raghopur, where the RJD leader is aiming at a hat-trick.
JSP national president Uday Singh handed the party symbol to Chanchal Singh for Raghopur, an assembly seat in Vaishali district. A photo of it was shared on social media.--PTI
The ruling BJP on Tuesday sprang surprises with its first list of 71 candidates for the Bihar assembly polls, denying a ticket to Speaker Nand Kishore Yadav, a seven-term MLA, while fielding Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary in a direct election after over a decade.
Health and Law Minister Mangal Pandey, a member of the legislative council, has also been fielded by the party for the assembly polls.
While Choudhary, who had last won an assembly election from Parbatta in 2010 on an RJD ticket, has been fielded from adjoining Tarapur, Pandey has been named the BJP candidate from Siwan.--PTI
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, the lone woman to hold the post among the 14 BJP-ruled states, will campaign in the Bihar Assembly polls and attend the nomination filing of the eastern state's deputy chief minister Vijay Sinha, officials said on Tuesday.
According to officials at Delhi CMO, she will reach Lakhisarai on Wednesday, where she will accompany Sinha for his nomination filing and will address a public meeting at KRK Ground there.
Later in the day, she will address a public meeting in Bihar Sharif in support of local BJP candidate Sunil Kumar.
CM Gupta is scheduled to return to Delhi the same day, the officials added. (PTI)
Members of the opposition Mahagathbandhan were discussing every assembly constituency in Bihar carefully, and the seat-sharing arrangement might be announced by Wednesday morning, Congress national spokesperson Abhay Dubey told reporters, while alleging friction in the NDA coalition owing to the announcement of a partial list.
Earlier on Tuesday, the BJP released a list of 71 candidates, with prominent senior leaders in it.
After joining BJP, folk and devotional singer Maithili Thakur said, "I am very impressed with the PM and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar. Drawing inspiration from them, I am here to support them...I do not believe that joining a political party makes you a politician; I am here to serve society and take their ideology to each and every person...I am the daughter of Mithila, my soul resides in Mithila...Party will know what they have in mind for me; I am here just to support them. I will do whatever the party orders."--ANI
When Bihar Congress president Rajesh Ram was asked to make a comment as he arrived for the CEC meeting, he said, "Everything only after the meeting." --ANI
On Bihar elections, Rajya Sabha MP and BJP leader Manan Kumar Mishra said, "NDA will come with an absolute majority... The list is very balanced, and we will win all the seats...We are ready for the elections... NDA is fully united, and after the elections, NDA will form the government, and everyone is happy and satisfied."
The police have removed JD(U) MLA Gopal Mandal from outside Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's house.
He was sitting there over his demand to meet Nitish to get an election ticket from Gopalpur Assembly constituency in the upcoming Bihar elections. Mandal is understood to have a slim chance of getting a party ticket for the polls
BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi said, "The first list of 71 candidates has been released today, a blend of young and senior experience. NDA will contest all 243 seats with efficiency, and the people of Bihar have made up their mind that this is the first election in Bihar during the Amritkaal... The people of Bihar are not going to give any poisonous element any opportunity to flourish again... All parties in the NDA have harmony, cooperation, and a sense of unity regarding development."
"The Mahagathbandhan is fraught with internal conflicts. Disputes don't just end with seat announcements; they persist even after. Remember, even after the seat-sharing agreement for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the RJD didn't allow Pappu Yadav and Kanhaiya Kumar to contest... They broke four MLAs from the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen). They plundered the Majlis by breaking four Muslim MLAs... As far as internal conflicts are concerned, they are clearly visible." --ANI
Folk and devotional singer Maithili Thakur joined the BJP.
On being announced as party candidate from Bankipur, state minister and BJP leader Nitin Nabin said, "I want to thank the party's central and state leadership for having faith in me. I also express my gratitude to the people of Bankipur. There are many issues, including road connectivity in Bankipur, which are getting resolved."
On being asked about rumours of Nitish Kumar being upset, he said, "For politics of bargaining, Lalu Yadav ji floated such information in the market. Because he was unable to bargain with Congress, he did this. NDA alliance of five Pandavas - Nitish Kumar, PM modi, Chirag, Majhi ji, Upendra Kushwaha will end corrupt Kauravas."--ANI
Bihar Minister Ashok Chaudhary says, "All the five parties will contest the elections together... This (decision on seats) will be finalised by the evening. Discussions are ongoing, it will be done by evening... We are discussing together. Everything remains pending until the last moment, but today everything will be settled, there's no need to worry."
On the SIR issue, he says, "It is not going to have any impact on the elections. SIR is not even an issue... If there is a policy for minorities, then our priority should be to accommodate the minorities in our state or the minorities of Bangladesh?... The opposition tried to create a perception of SIR just the way they tried to do with the Constitution in the Lok Sabha election."
On seat-sharing discussion with LJP Ram Vilas party, he said, "Discussions are done through mutual adjustment... Everything gets stuck until the very last moment. We think everything will be decided today. There is nothing to worry about."--ANI
On Bihar elections, Union Minister and JD(U) leader, Rajiv Ranjan (Lalan) Singh said, "If the leaders of the Mahagathbandhan want to contest the elections, they should do so with the support of the people. That is why we say that this is not an alliance but a gang of cheats....No one in our party moves forward without Nitish Kumar's consent. From seat sharing to the allocation of individual seats, everything is done with Nitish Kumar's knowledge and consent."
"These (Mahagathbandhan) people are not getting the support of the people in the elections, so they are indulging in malicious propaganda. Why would Nitish Kumar be angry? The NDA is united under Nitish Kumar's leadership and will contest the elections under his leadership... Nitish Kumar is the universally accepted leader of the NDA, and we are contesting the elections under his leadership," he added. --ANI
On Bihar elections, state BJP President Madan Rathore said, "We will systematically unite the NDA; whether it is Chirag Paswan or Nitish Kumar, we are united, and we will form the government."--ANI
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has released its first list of 71 candidates for the upcoming election for Bihar's 243-seat Assembly. Former Union Minister from the RJD and Rajya Sabha MP Ram Kripal Yadav has been fielded from Danapur.
Two Deputy CMs Samrat Chaudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha will contest from Tarapur and Lakhisarai.
Ministers Nitin Nabin and Renu Devi will contest from Bankipur and Bettiah, respectively.
Shooter and Asian Games medallist Shreyasi Singh will contest from Jamui seat.
JD(U)'s Bhagalpur MP Ajay Kumar Mandal sought to resign on Tuesday, stating that he was not consulted over the distribution of tickets for the Bihar assembly elections in his region.
The Nitish Kumar-led party is yet to comment on the letter, which Mandal shared on X.
"Despite being a member of parliament from Bhagalpur, the party has not reached out to me for advice regarding ticket distribution in the region. In that case, there is no point holding the MP post," he said in the letter, addressed to Kumar.
He said in his 20-25 years of service to the Bhagalpur region, as an MP and MLA, he has considered JD(U) as his family, but "decisions made in the past few months" do not augur well for the future of the party.
He alleged that the "prioritising outsiders" has "weakened the roots" of the JD(U), adding that "party workers are feeling sidelined".
This, he said, reflects poorly on the leadership of the chief minister. (PTI)
JD(U) MLA Gopal Mandal, who is understood to have a slim chance of getting a party ticket for the upcoming assembly polls, on Tuesday sat on a dharna near Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's residence.
Mandal, who is enjoying the fourth consecutive term from the Gopalpur seat in Bhagalpur district, reached 1, Anney Marg with a group of slogan-shouting supporters.
When security personnel stopped him from entering the premises, pointing out that he did not have an appointment, Mandal sat down close to the gate.
"I will not budge till I get the party symbol from the CM, who is our party's supremo. The security personnel may charge the baton if they wish," he told reporters. (PTI)
RJD president Lalu Prasad gave away party tickets to several candidates until his son and heir apparent Tejashwi Yadav early on Tuesday pointed out that the INDIA bloc, helmed in Bihar by the Rashtriya Janata Dal, was yet to formally announce a seat-sharing formula.
A stampede-like situation was witnessed on Monday evening outside 10, Circular Road, the bungalow allotted to the RJD supremo's wife Rabri Devi, a former CM, when the couple returned from Delhi, where they had appeared before a court.
As the air remained thick with anticipation, aspirants, who apparently received phone calls from the party, began pouring in, only to emerge minutes later, with the party symbol in their hands and a broad smile on their faces.
However, Yadav, who returned from Delhi a few hours after his parents did, was said to have been upset with the development.
According to RJD sources, he told his father that photographs and video clips of party candidates with the symbol could not go down well with alliance partners with whom a deal was yet to be struck. (PTI)
On the seat-sharing formula announced by the NDA for the Bihar polls, RJD spokesperson Mritunjay Tiwari says, "BJP has plans to finish JD(U), even CM Nitish knows about it. Right now, they have been kept at the same level. But after elections, BJP will destroy it. Let's see what will happen next."
On NDA seat sharing, BJP state president Dilip Jaiswal said, "Some of the people connected with INDI alliance are continuing to attempt to come towards NDA but we will move forward with our 'five pandavas' and form a majority government in Bihar."
The Janshakti Janata Dal, the party led by Tej Pratap Yadav, on Monday released a list of 21 candidates for the upcoming Bihar Legislative Assembly elections, scheduled to be held in two phases on November 6 and 11.
Tej Pratap, the incumbent Hasanpur MLA and the elder son of Lalu Prasad, will contest from Mahua, a seat he first won in 2015 during his electoral debut on an RJD ticket. He had earlier confirmed his return to Mahua after being expelled from the RJD earlier this year.
The candidates’ list includes nominees from districts including Patna, Madhubani, Gopalganj, Vaishali, Nawada, and Samastipur. Among the 21 candidates are Sanjay Yadav (Madhepura), Taurif Rehman (Narkatiyaganj), Ravi Raj Kumar (Hisua), Pushpa Kumari (Baniyapur), Advocate Meenu Kumari (Patna Sahib), Dr Gulshan Yadav (Bakhtiyarpur), and Awadh Kishor Jha (Benipur), showcasing diversity across caste and gender.
RJD president Lalu Prasad on Monday gave away party tickets to candidates favoured by him, unfazed by inability of the INDIA bloc to formally announce a plan for seat-sharing.--PTI
Lalu Prasad's elder son Tej Pratap Yadav to contest Bihar polls from Mahua as his Janshakti Janta Dal announces candidates for 21 seats. --PTI
Bihar BJP president Dilip Jaiswal, who was back from Delhi a day after the NDA announced its seat-sharing formula, asserted that "all five constituents" were likely to declare their candidates "by tomorrow" and filing of nominations will be completed for both phases this week itself, news agency PTI reported.
The Samajwadi Party on Monday demanded the withdrawal of the Election Commission's new directive requiring Anganwadi workers to identify burqa-clad women voters during the Bihar assembly elections, saying that the move is against transparent, free, and fair polls. SP's state unit president Shyamlal Pal submitted a memorandum addressed to Chief Election Commissioner of India through the state Chief Electoral Officer in Lucknow, alleging that the directive issued by CEC Gyanesh Kumar is "contrary to the rules of the Election Commission." The Election Commission on October 10 said special arrangements will be made at polling stations in Bihar for "dignified" identification of women voters in burqa or purdah.--PTI
A court in Bihar's Sheikhpura district on Monday issued summonses to INDIA bloc leaders Rahul Gandhi, Tejashwi Yadav and Mukesh Sahani in connection with alleged abuses hurled at Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the Congress' Voter Adhikar Yatra in August.
The order was passed by Chief Judicial Magistrate of Sheikhpura, Vibha Rani, on a complaint filed by BJP leader Hiralal Singh on September 4.
The petitioner's counsel, Gopal Kumar Barnwal, said the court conducted a preliminary hearing and, after examining the matter, issued summonses to the three leaders, he said.
The CJM has ordered Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, RJD's Tejashwi Yadav, and Mukesh Sahani of the Vikassheel Insaan Party to appear before the court in person or through their legal representatives on November 26.
The complaint also lists 100 unidentified individuals as accused.--PTI
RJD leader and former Bihar deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav met senior Congress leaders on Monday evening to finalise the seat-sharing arrangement ahead of the Bihar assembly polls.
Sources said Yadav met Congress general secretary, Organisation, K C Venugopal and the party's in-charge for Bihar, Krishna Allavaru, here. He was expected to meet Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, but it did not materialise.
The two main parties are engaged in consultations over seat-sharing among the Mahagathbandhan partners ahead of the Bihar assembly polls, amid claims and counter-claims made by both sides on each one's stronghold constituencies. --PTI
Union Home Minister Amit Shah will visit poll-bound Bihar on a three-day tour from October 16, state BJP president Dilip Jaiswal said on Monday.
Addressing a press conference, Jaiswal said Shah will stay in the state till October 18, a period during which filing of nomination papers and campaign is likely to pick up momentum. (PTI)
The BJP in Bihar on Monday inducted two rebel leaders of the INDIA bloc who had won the last assembly polls on tickets of RJD and Congress, but had been sitting with members of the NDA inside the assembly after JD(U) of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar joined it in 2024.
State BJP president Dilip Jaiswal welcomed into the party Sangita Kumari, who last week resigned from her Mohania seat she had won as an RJD nominee, besides Siddharth Saurav, a two-term Congress MLA from Bikram.
According to a statement issued by the assembly secretariat, Saurav resigned from his seat on Monday. (PTI)
In a bid to enhance confidence of candidates in the efficacy of electronic voting machines, the Election Commission has started random distribution of EVMs and paper trail units ahead of the first phase of the Bihar assembly polls on November 6.
An EC statement said here on Monday that the first Randomisation was done through EVM Management System (EMS) by the district election officers in the presence of the representatives of national and state recognised political parties.
Officials said the second randomisation will take place by Tuesday. --PTI
The BJP on Monday launched a blistering attack on the RJD, claiming scams, manipulation in awarding government contracts and taking people's land after promising jobs were its model of governance.
This came after a special court here on Monday framed charges against RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, former Bihar CM Rabri Devi and their son Tejashwi Yadav, who is the Leader of Opposition in the state, in the alleged IRCTC scam case, setting the stage for a trial on October 27, ahead of polls in Bihar.
“Tejashwi Yadav is going to change Bihar with the charge of 420 (Section 420 of the erstwhile criminal code IPC referred to cheating) being framed against him by a competent court,” senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said at a press conference. --PTI
Having struck a seat-sharing deal, leaders of the JD(U) and the BJP sat across the table here on Monday to thrash out, among other things, constituencies they planned to swap or give up in favour of smaller allies in Bihar.
Both parties have decided to contest 101 seats each in the polls to the 243-strong assembly, a little less than they had fought five years ago, leaving 29 for Union minister Chirag Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) and six each for Rashtriya Lok Morcha of Rajya Sabha MP Upendra Kushwaha and Hindustani Awam Morcha founded by former chief minister, and now a Union minister, Jitan Ram Manjhi. --PTI
In a move seemingly driven by disappointment over not being allocated a seat in the upcoming Bihar polls, the SBSP, a member of the NDA, announced on Monday that it will contest 153 seats in the state.
Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) National General Secretary Arvind Rajbhar made the announcement, stating that the party will reveal its candidates for the Bihar elections at a press conference in Patna on Tuesday. --PTI
Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) has announced the its second list of candidates for 65 seats for the upcoming Bihar polls. However, Kishor's name is not on this list, news agency PTI reported.
The ruling NDA will announce its candidates for the assembly elections in Bihar on Monday evening, state BJP president Dilip Jaiswal said.
Denying that there are any differences within the NDA over the seat-sharing arrangement announced on Sunday, he said the coalition will fight the elections unitedly.
"The NDA has already announced its seat-sharing arrangements. Now, candidates of all NDA constituents, including the BJP, will be announced in the evening," he told reporters.
-PTI
The National Democratic Alliance consists of the following parties -
-Rashtriya Lok Morcha
Previous assembly elections took place in 2020.
Who won? - NDA won, with JD(U)'s Nitish Kumar becoming chief minister.
Later in August 2022, Nitish Kumar led the JD(U) to break ties with NDA and formed a government with the RJD led by Mahagathbandhan.
In 2024, Nitish Kumar once again formed a government with BJP-led NDA.
There are a total of 243 constituencies, voting for which will be done in two phases.
First phase will be on November 6.
Second phase will be on November 11.
The counting will be done on November 14, Friday.
The polls would be conducted by the Election Commission of India.
The notification for second phase of Assembly elections 2025 in Bihar is scheduled to be issued today.
NDA sources said the alliance initially sought to limit the LJP (RV) to 20–25 seats, but eventually conceded in view of its electoral leverage.
The final decision was taken after a meeting of the BJP’s Central Election Committee (CEC) in Delhi attended by PM Narendra Modi and senior BJP leaders from Delhi and Bihar.
The NDA on Sunday agreed to a seat-sharing formula for next month’s Bihar Assembly elections, with the BJP and the Janata Dal (United) agreeing to contest 101 each.
The deal, confirmed by JD(U) national working president Sanjay Jha and BJP’s election in-charge Dharmendra Pradhan, gives the Chirag Paswan-led Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vikas) 29 seats, while the Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) of Jitan Ram Manjhi and the Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) of Upendra Kushwaha will contest six seats each.
The first phase of the Bihar Assembly elections will take place on November 6, with the second phase of voting on November 11.
More than 7.4 crore electors of the state will cast their votes. The counting of votes will take place on November 14.
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