Bihar elections: First phase of nominations for the Bihar Assembly elections ended on Friday, with more than 1,250 candidates filing papers for 121 seats set to vote on November 6. The NDA appears united in its campaign strategy, while the INDIA bloc is still facing delays in seat-sharing talks.
The election buzz has officially taken over Bihar as the nomination process for the first phase of Assembly elections closed on Friday. With over 1,250 candidates filing their papers for the 121 seats going to polls on November 6, the political battlefield is now taking shape. The ruling NDA appears united and campaign-ready, while the opposition INDIA bloc continues to struggle with internal disagreements. Congress MP Akhilesh Singh stated that RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav will be the chief ministerial face of the Mahagathbandhan though no formal announcement has yet been made. VIP chief Mukesh Sahani, once expected to contest, has opted out. Meanwhile, the Congress released its first list of 48 candidates on Thursday night, and the BJP is preparing to launch its high-octane campaign with Amit Shah and BJP CMs soon to hit the ground.
Stay with us for real-time updates, party reactions, candidate announcements, and campaign developments as Bihar heads into a heated election season...
Union Minister Chirag Paswan says, "NDA has respected all 5 of its allies and completed the negotiation. The nominations of all 243 candidates are clear. The names of all 243 candidates are clear. There is no confusion like the Mahagathbandhan... We have already started our campaign when the Mahagathbandhan is trying to cancel out each other's claims..."
Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party (RLJP) chief Pashupati Kumar Paras announced that despite considerable efforts to join forces with the Mahagathbandhan, an alliance could not be formed. He stated, “We made significant efforts to form an alliance with the Mahagathbandhan, but the alliance did not materialise.” As a result, the RLJP has decided to contest the upcoming Bihar elections independently. Paras expressed confidence in the party’s prospects, adding, “I am hopeful that in the first phase of the elections, we will win a good number of seats.”
"Mahagathbandhan seems to be stuck in a quagmire...This simply shows that a party that can't sort out issues within its own alliance, how it will raise Bihar's issues... So, there's no doubt that the NDA will form a strong government... The NDA is united, and when it comes to seat-sharing or any other alliance, the top leadership sits together and resolves any confusion. No, there was never any roadblock in the NDA. Everyone may have their own personal aspirations. We dealt with it in time, and today we stand before the opposition as a strong front for Bihar..."
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, on a three-day visit to Bihar ahead of the assembly elections, launched a sharp attack on opposition leaders Tejashwi Yadav of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Congress’s Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday. Speaking in Patna, Shah questioned the feasibility of RJD’s ambitious promise to provide government jobs to a member of every household and mocked Rahul Gandhi’s “Voter Adhikar Yatra,” alleging it was aimed at protecting illegal immigrants.
Speaking at India TV’s Chunav Manch, senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Rajiv Pratap Rudy weighed in on the evolving landscape of Bihar’s politics. He touched upon the influence of both established and emerging leaders, including Chirag Paswan, Upendra Kushwaha, and Jitan Ram Manjhi, while acknowledging the ongoing poster politics that tend to highlight caste-based affiliations in the state. Read full story here.
an Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor is confident his party may win more than 150 seats, but at the same time, he put in a rider saying that if his party is swept off, it may win only 10 seats. Replying to questions at the India TV Chunav Manch daylong conclave here, Prashant Kishor, a former poll strategist, said, "This is not a range of 10 to 150, but you can call them two scenarios — Arsh (sky) par ya farsh (ground) par." Prashant Kishor said, "On November 14, when Bihar results will be declared, a new history will be written and Jan Suraaj Party will win more than 150 seats." Read the full story here.
Bhojpuri superstar and BJP MP Ravi Kishan delivered a fiery and confident address at India TV’s Chunav Manch on Friday, predicting a landslide victory for the NDA in the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections. Emphasising unity within the NDA, he declared that the alliance is “moving forward as a united front” and would secure a “massive majority” at the polls. “Is baar Bihar mein garda udne wala hai. NDA phir se bhari bahumat se jeetega,” said Ravi Kishan in his trademark energetic style. Read full story here.
