The Janata Dal unveiled a list of 57 candidates for the forthcoming Bihar assembly polls, including names for five constituencies that were understood to be allotted to Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party. This move has sparked unease within the ruling NDA coalition and raised questions about the durability of its seat-sharing agreement.
The list features numerous incumbent ministers and long-standing loyalists of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Among the seats retained by JD is Sarairanjan, where minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary has been fielded. Shyam Rajak has been named on the ticket from Phulwarisharif, while Umesh Khushwaha is contesting from Mahanar. JD has re-nominated 18 sitting MLAs and dropped a handful of others, and only four of the 57 candidates are women.
The surprise lies in JD’s claims on constituencies such as Mahua, which had been considered part of the 29-seat allocation for LJP under the NDA arrangement. Analysts interpret this as a calculated assertion of influence by JD, possibly testing the coalition’s tolerance.
Bharatiya Janata Party had earlier declared its first tranche of 71 candidates for the Assembly elections. Among that list were both Deputy Chief Ministers—Samrat Chaudhary from Tarapur and Vijay Kumar Sinha from Lakhisarai—as well as Health Minister Mangal Pandey from Siwan. BJP is contesting 101 seats, matching JD’s tally, and leaving the remainder for LJP and smaller allies.
LJP responded by releasing its first list of 14 candidates, selecting seats such as Govindganj and Brahmpur. But the overlap in JD’s candidate naming has raised the spectre of intra-NDA tensions, with observers questioning whether the alliance can maintain cohesion through the campaign.
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