Nominations Closed as Mahagathbandhan Splits Deepen; 'India' Fields Heavy Hitters in Key Seats

Bihar Elections 2025: The nomination process for the second and final phase of the Bihar Assembly elections concluded on October 20th, but during this period, serious differences and fissures within the opposition 'Indi' alliance became apparent. Candidates from constituent parties clashed in several seats, raising questions about the alliance's unity. According to the Election Commission, a total of 1,314 candidates are contesting for 121 seats in the first phase, where voting will take place on November 6th. Voting for the second phase of 122 seats will take place on November 11th. Following the scrutiny of nominations, more than 300 nominations were rejected, while 61 candidates withdrew.

RJD's List of 143 Candidates 

The main opposition party, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), delayed the release of its list of 143 candidates, leading to confusion in several seats. Tejashwi Yadav has been given the ticket from Raghopur in Vaishali district. The party fielded 20 SC, 1 ST, and 24 women candidates, but despite efforts to avoid a clash with the Congress, candidates from both parties are facing off in seats like Lalganj, Vaishali, and Kahalgaon. The RJD did not field a candidate against Congress state president Rajesh Kumar Ram in the Kutumba seat, averting a clash. In total, RJD candidates will contest against other All India Alliance parties in five seats.

VIP Rebellion: Tarapur Candidate Withdraws, Joins BJP

RJD's differences with the Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) reached a boiling point. VIP candidate Sakaldev Bind, expressing displeasure with the RJD's stance, withdrew his nomination and joined the BJP. The VIP received a total of 16 seats in the alliance, while the party had previously demanded 40-50 seats and the post of Deputy Chief Minister. Confusion also persists between the two RJD candidates in the Gaurabaram seat in Darbhanga—Lalu Prasad Yadav supported one, but the other refused to back down.

RJD Women's Cell President Ritu Jaiswal rebelled and announced she would contest the Parihar seat as an independent. She alleged that ticket distribution was due to "family pressure."

Alliance cracks in other seats

The All India Alliance also witnessed conflict in the Bachhwara, Rajapakar, and Rosera seats, where the Congress and the CPI fielded separate candidates. The Congress is contesting 61 seats this time, down from 66 in 2020. Discontent within the party over ticket distribution is widespread. The CPI(ML) Liberation won 20 seats, the CPI won 9, and the CPI(M) won 4. The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) completely withdrew from the alliance, accusing the RJD-Congress of a "political conspiracy," and withdrew from the election.

Dramatic events: RJD candidate arrested from Sasaram

Several dramatic events occurred on the last day of nomination. RJD candidate from Sasaram, Satyendra Shah, was arrested by Jharkhand police in a 2004 bank robbery case shortly after filing his nomination. This is the third All India Alliance candidate to be arrested—previously, CPI(ML) candidates Jitendra Paswan and Satyadev Ram from the Bhorah and Darauli seats were arrested. The CPI(ML) accused the ruling NDA of taking action out of "political fear."

Overall Situation

With the nomination process nearing its end, the opposition alliance is in damage control mode. Some candidates have withdrawn, but several "friendly fights" remain, posing a threat of vote division. The BJP claimed that the Grand Alliance has "collapsed." The first phase of voting is on November 6, and the last date for withdrawal is October 23. A total of 1,375 nominations have been accepted.