Ahead of the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is set to launch his poll campaign from Samastipur district on October 16, 2025. The Janata Dal (United) (JD(U)) on October 15 released its first list of 57 candidates, with a second and final list expected by October 17. Four women feature in the initial list.
Under the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), JD(U) is slated to contest 101 seats, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) contesting an equal number of seats. The Chirag Paswan-led Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) will contest 29 seats, while the Jitan Ram Manjhi-led Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) and Upendra Kushwaha-led Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) are allocated six seats each.
Tensions have emerged within the alliance, as both RLM and HAM(S) leaders expressed dissatisfaction over seat-sharing, particularly regarding the Mahua seat in Vaishali district, which was allotted to LJP (RV) instead of RLM. Leaders from the NDA have reportedly traveled to Delhi to resolve these differences.
Nitish Kumar, known for consulting stakeholders before making final decisions, is likely to focus his campaign on constituencies such as Sarairanjan in Samastipur district and potentially Darbhanga, highlighting close party ties with local MLAs. With women voters considered a decisive segment, the campaign strategy is expected to prioritize outreach to this group.
Meanwhile, in the opposition camp, the Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) has been actively preparing for the elections under founder and strategist Prashant Kishor, who has decided not to contest personally due to campaign responsibilities.
JSP had begun its campaign from Raghopur, a stronghold of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav, whose family has historically held influence in Vaishali district. The party’s candidate for Raghopur, Chanchal Singh, is a local businessman and former JD(U) member.
The JSP has released two lists of candidates totaling 116 nominees, with maximum representation from the Extremely Backward Class segment, followed by Backward, minority, and general categories. The party’s strategy emphasizes proportional representation based on community population, aiming to consolidate voter support across diverse segments.
As Bihar gears up for elections, party alignments and candidate announcements are expected to shape the final dynamics, with the JD(U) actively setting the pace of the campaign while managing alliance tensions and preparing to counter the opposition’s outreach efforts.
Also Read: Jaisalmer-Jodhpur Bus Blaze Kills 20, Many Injured
