The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) on Monday released its first list of candidates for the upcoming Bihar Assembly Elections 2025, announcing names for 143 seats.
Tejashwi Yadav, Leader of Opposition in the Bihar Assembly, will contest from Raghopur in Vaishali district, a traditional stronghold for the party.
The announcement comes amid a stalemate over seat-sharing between INDIA bloc allies, just weeks before the state goes to polls.
“The RJD will fight strongly on all fronts and emerge as the single largest party in Bihar,” a senior party leader said.
Tejashwi Yadav files nomination for Raghopur
Tejashwi Yadav officially filed his nomination papers from Raghopur constituency, accompanied by RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav in Hajipur.
The Bihar Assembly elections will be held in two phases on November 6 and 11, with counting of votes and results on November 14.
The deadline to withdraw nomination papers for 121 seats in the first phase ends today at 3 PM. So far, 1,375 nominations have been accepted.
RJD’s move to release its list early comes at a time when seat-sharing talks within the INDIA bloc are stuck.
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Congress named candidates on 54 seats.
VIP’s Mukesh Sahani announced 15 candidates.
CPI-ML named 20 candidates.
CPI named 9 candidates.
The lack of clarity on seat adjustments has raised concerns over the bloc’s coordination and poll strategy in Bihar.
“This is a test of the INDIA bloc’s cohesion,” a political analyst in Patna said. “If they can’t resolve seat-sharing amicably, it may benefit the NDA.”
Defections reshape Bihar’s political battlefield
Defections and party switches have become a defining feature of this election season in Bihar.
The latest in the list of turncoats is Sarfaraz Alam, former MP and four-time MLA, who has joined Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party. Alam has represented the Jokihat assembly seat multiple times—twice on RJD tickets and twice for JD(U).
This trend reflects a fluid political landscape where alliances are pragmatic and ideology often takes a back seat.
Nine sitting MLAs change sides
A total of nine candidates who won the last state elections under different party banners are now contesting under new affiliations.
After the collapse of the Grand Alliance government, seven MLAs from the RJD and Congress have joined the NDA. All but one have been given party tickets for the upcoming polls.
Political observers say such shifts could impact local equations, especially in constituencies with tight margins.
