As the Bihar assembly elections draw near, political parties are strategizing to gain an edge in the polls. Amidst these developments, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has nominated Shan Ali, a controversial figure with a criminal history, as their candidate from the Sherghati constituency.

Shan Ali is allegedly accused of murdering a police officer in 2016. The decision to field a candidate with such a background has sparked considerable debate and controversy, raising questions about the AIMIM's candidate selection process and its commitment to upholding the law.

The Sherghati Assembly constituency, located in the Gaya district of Bihar, has a diverse electorate. In the 2020 assembly elections, Manju Agrawal of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) won the seat, defeating Vinod Prasad Yadav of the Janata Dal (United). The AIMIM candidate, Masaroor Alam, secured a notable 8.93% of the votes.

The AIMIM's decision to field Shan Ali from Sherghati is seen by some as a strategic move to consolidate Muslim votes in the constituency. Sherghati is part of the Gaya Lok Sabha constituency. In the 2020 elections, AIMIM contested on 24 seats in Bihar and won five from the Seemanchal area. This time around, AIMIM has declared that it would enter the contest in the Mithilanchal area.

Meanwhile, other political developments are unfolding in Bihar. The Congress party's Central Election Committee (CEC) is scheduled to meet on Wednesday, October 8, 2025, to finalize its list of candidates, as seat-sharing negotiations with allies RJD and Left parties continue. The Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) has appointed Lok Sabha MP Arun Bharti as the party in-charge and Raju Tiwary as the state unit chief. RJD president Lalu Prasad Yadav has claimed that the ruling NDA will "run away" after the upcoming state polls.

The Bihar Assembly, with 243 seats, will hold elections in two phases on November 6 and 11, with vote counting on November 14.