RJD Releases 143 Candidates for Bihar Elections Amid Tensions with Congress Alliance

Tejashwi Yadav is contesting the Bihar polls from family stronghold Raghopur

Patna:

The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has unveiled its list of 143 candidates for the upcoming Bihar Assembly election, just two weeks before voting begins. In what appears to be signs of discord within the Mahagathbandhan alliance, the RJD has nominated candidates in four constituencies where its ally Congress had already announced its contenders. The RJD list features 24 women and 18 Muslim candidates.

With the RJD's announcement, the Mahagathbandhan's seat distribution now stands at: RJD (143), Congress (55), CPIML (20), CPI (6), CPM (4), and VIP (15). Notably, Congress has already declared candidates for 60 seats, creating a situation where some constituencies will witness friendly contests between alliance partners.

Seat-sharing has emerged as a contentious issue in both the NDA and Mahagathbandhan alliances. While NDA partners have attempted to present a unified front, the INDIA Bloc appears fragmented as the election approaches. Nevertheless, leaders from both RJD and Congress have publicly minimized these differences.

The RJD shared their candidate list on social media, offering congratulations and best wishes for victory to all candidates.

Tejashwi Yadav will contest from his family's traditional constituency of Raghopur. The party has fielded popular Bhojpuri actor Khesari Lal Yadav from Chhapra and industrialist Deepak Yadav from Narkatiaganj. Another notable candidate is Osama Shahab, son of the late Mohammad Shahabuddin, a gangster-turned-politician who was once a powerful figure in Siwan. Osama will contest from Raghunathpur in Siwan district.

Of the four MLAs who switched from Asaduddin Owaisi's AIMIM to RJD after winning in the 2020 state elections, only one has received a ticket this time. Shahnawaz Alam, the Jokihat MLA, will contest from the same constituency, while the others have been denied tickets.

The RJD is contesting on one fewer seat than in the previous election. In 2020, the party won 75 seats to emerge as the single largest party, but poor performance by Congress prevented the alliance from forming a government.

Bihar will vote in two phases on November 6 and November 11, with counting scheduled for November 14.