Ranchi/Patna: The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) will not contest the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, marking its absence from the state polls for the first time in recent years. The Jharkhand-based regional party — a key ally in the INDIA bloc — failed to release its list of candidates before the nomination deadline ended on Sunday (October 20).
On October 18, JMM general secretary and spokesperson Supriyo Bhattacharya had announced plans to field candidates in six constituencies — Jamui, Chakai, Dhamdaha, Manihari, Pirpainti, and Katoria — but no names were declared before the closure of nominations.
Senior JMM leader and minister Sudivya Kumar blamed the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) for sidelining his party during seat-sharing talks, accusing it of “political cunningness.”
“When I went to Patna on October 7 as a representative of my party, the talks were cordial. It didn’t seem like the INDIA bloc would try to exclude JMM. But from October 7 to 20, we got neither a yes nor clarity,” Kumar said.
“RJD indulged in political cunningness. If they wanted to deny us participation, they should have said so clearly,” he added.
Earlier, Bhattacharya had also criticised both the RJD and Congress, accusing them of betrayal and failing to honour alliance commitments.
Bihar Polls in Two Phases
The Bihar Assembly elections will be held in two phases on November 6 and 11, with counting on November 14.
Campaigns Begin Across Bihar
With nominations closed for the second and final phase, campaigning begins from October 21. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will kick off his campaign in Muzaffarpur, addressing rallies in Kanti and Minapur, while BJP leaders are also set to begin statewide tours as the race heats up across 121 constituencies.