The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has announced its list of 143 candidates for the Bihar Assembly Elections 2025, a move that has highlighted the ongoing tussle with its ally, the Indian National Congress (INC). The announcement has come amidst a stalemate in seat-sharing negotiations within the Mahagathbandhan, the grand alliance of opposition parties in Bihar.
The RJD's list, released on Monday, includes Tejashwi Yadav, who will contest from the Raghopur seat in Vaishali district. The party is contesting on 143 seats, one less than the 144 it contested in the 2020 elections. Other prominent candidates include Chandra Shekhar from Madhepura, Veena Devi from Mokama, and Uday Narayan Chaudhary from Jhajha. The list also includes 24 women candidates.
The Congress party has so far declared 60 candidates in three separate lists. The party's candidates include state unit chief Rajesh Ram from Kutumba and CLP leader Shakeel Ahmad Khan from Kadwa. However, the failure to finalize a seat-sharing agreement has led to a situation where both RJD and Congress are fielding candidates against each other in several constituencies, a situation termed as "friendly fights". Some of these constituencies include Lalganj, Vaishali, Rajapakar, Rosera, Biharsharif, Bachhwara, Tarapur, Kutumba, and Kahalgaon.
The lack of a formal seat-sharing agreement has resulted in confusion and tension within the Mahagathbandhan. Disgruntled aspirants in both the RJD and Congress have accused the leadership of putting tickets up for sale, reflecting internal dissatisfaction. Bihar Congress chief Rajesh Ram has accused RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav of "shifting his stance" and "sabotaging" the alliance. He also alleged that Yadav was undermining Dalit representation within the coalition. RJD spokesperson Mrityunjay Tiwari has stated that Congress must understand that RJD mainly contests only in Bihar and won't ask for seats in states such as Karnataka and Rajasthan.
Despite the disagreements, leaders from both parties have expressed optimism about resolving the issues through dialogue. Congress leaders have indicated that discussions are underway to ensure an equitable distribution of seats and that an announcement is expected soon.
The Bihar Assembly elections are scheduled to be held in two phases on November 6 and 11, with the results being declared on November 14. The Mahagathbandhan, which includes the RJD, Congress, CPI(ML), CPI, CPM, and Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP), is attempting to present a united front against the NDA, which includes the BJP, JD(U), LJP (Ram Vilas), HAM, and RLM.
