The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday released its first list of 71 candidates for the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, marking the beginning of an intense political battle in the state. The list features several prominent leaders, including Deputy Chief Ministers Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, who will contest from Tarapur and Lakhisarai, respectively.
State Minister Nitin Nabin has been fielded from Bankipur, while Renu Devi will contest from Bettiah. Another key inclusion in the list is Mangal Pandey, who will represent the BJP from Sivan. With 71 candidates announced, 30 seats remain to be declared, keeping the suspense alive over a few key constituencies.
The announcement follows the NDA’s seat-sharing agreement revealed on Sunday. As per the arrangement, the BJP and JD(U) will contest 101 seats each, while the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) has been allotted 29 seats. The Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) and Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) will contest six seats each.
Following the seat-sharing deal, HAM chief Jitan Ram Manjhi reaffirmed his unwavering support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, declaring, “I will stand with the Honourable Prime Minister until my last breath.” He also expressed optimism about Bihar’s progress under the NDA’s leadership, stating that “prosperity in Bihar” would be ensured with Modi and Nitish Kumar’s partnership.
BJP’s Bihar chief Dilip Jaiswal emphasized the unity within the alliance, describing the NDA partners as “five Pandavas” contesting the elections with complete solidarity. “We have announced the seat-sharing arrangement first and will continue to release candidates,” he told reporters on Monday.
The Bihar Assembly elections 2025 will be held in two phases — on November 6 and November 11, with the counting of votes scheduled for November 14. As the political temperature rises, all eyes are now on the BJP’s remaining candidate list and how the opposition will respond to the NDA’s early and strategic start.
