BJP to Announce Bihar Election Candidates as Nitish Kumar Delegates Negotiation Leadership

The BJP is set to hold a core team meeting on Saturday to finalize candidates for the upcoming Bihar elections, according to sources close to the matter.

Following this initial discussion, the BJP's central election committee will convene on Sunday with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP President JP Nadda, and other senior leadership in attendance.

Sources indicate that the first list of BJP and National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidates is expected to be released collectively on Monday, ensuring consistency and fairness among all alliance partners.

Despite speculation in some quarters, sources affirm there are no disagreements among NDA partners regarding candidate selection or seat-sharing arrangements for the Bihar polls.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United) remains a major BJP ally in Bihar. The NDA faces significant opposition from the Congress-RJD alliance while also contending with Prashant Kishor's emerging Jan Suraaj movement, which presents itself as representing new-generation leadership.

Notably, Nitish Kumar has authorized the BJP to lead negotiations with other alliance partners. This development comes amid concerns regarding the 74-year-old Chief Minister's recent public behavior, which opposition parties claim could impact his governance capabilities.

Seat-sharing discussions with Chirag Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Jitan Ram Manjhi's Hindustani Awam Morcha, and Upendra Kushwaha's Rashtriya Lok Samta Party are reportedly progressing smoothly.

BJP sources reveal the party has conducted thorough groundwork in Bihar for candidate selection, with three potential candidates identified for each constituency, from which the most suitable will be chosen.

Chirag Paswan today explicitly denied reports about discord within the Bihar NDA over seat distribution matters. "The news circulating about me based on sources is completely false and baseless. I am not upset with anyone. Seat-sharing issues in the NDA will be finalized soon," he stated.

Representatives from Paswan's party also dismissed rumors suggesting potential collaboration with Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj. Kishor himself rejected such speculation, telling reporters on Wednesday, "This is not a fight for seats... There is a fight to loot Bihar. Every party wants to get more seats so they can loot Bihar more. We do not have any alliance with any political party. Our alliance is with the people."

Bihar's elections are scheduled in two phases on November 6 and 11, with vote counting set for November 14.