Patna: The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) on Monday released its official list of candidates for the Bihar Assembly Election 2025, fielding nominees on 143 seats amid a seat-sharing deadlock within the Mahagathbandhan alliance. The list was made public on the last day of nominations for the second phase of polling.
RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav will contest from the Raghopur assembly seat in Vaishali district, continuing to be the party’s face in the election. The Bihar Assembly elections are scheduled for November 6 and 11, with counting and results expected on November 14.
RJD’s candidate list and notable names
Due to internal disputes within the Mahagathbandhan, the RJD delayed the release of its candidate list until the final day. Even before the official announcement, the party had assigned symbols to all its candidates.
Compared to the 2020 Assembly elections, the RJD is contesting one fewer seat—143 in 2025 versus 144 in 2020. Key candidates include:
- Tejashwi Yadav – Raghopur
- Chandra Shekhar – Madhepura
- Veena Devi – Mokama
- Uday Narayan Chaudhary – Jhajha
Congress announces six more candidates
Meanwhile, the Congress released a fresh list of six candidates on Monday, bringing its total announced nominees to 60. The list was shared post-midnight, highlighting the continuing delay in a formal seat-sharing arrangement between RJD and Congress.
The six candidates announced are:
- Surendra Prasad Kushwaha – Valmiki Nagar
- Abidur Rehman – Araria
- Jalil Mastan – Amour
- Tauquir Alam – Barari
- Praveen Singh Kushwaha – Kahalgaon
- Vinod Chaudhary – Sikandra (SC)
Earlier, Congress had announced 48 candidates on Thursday, followed by Rishi Mishra from Jale on Friday and five more candidates on Saturday. Party symbols have been distributed to all candidates for smooth nomination processes.
Internal friction within Mahagathbandhan
Nine seats in Bihar are set to witness a contest between Mahagathbandhan allies, exposing cracks in the alliance:
RJD vs Congress (6 seats):
- Vaishali – Ajay Kushwaha (Congress) vs Sanjeev Kumar (RJD)
- Lalganj – Aditya Kumar (Congress) vs Shivani Shukla (RJD)
- Sikandra – Vinod Chaudhary (Congress) vs Uday Narayan Chaudhary (RJD)
- Kahalgaon – Praveen Kushwaha (Congress) vs Rajneesh Anand (RJD)
- SultanGanj – Lalan Yadav (Congress) vs Chandan Sinha (RJD)
- Narkatiaganj – Shashwat Kedar Pandey (Congress) vs Deepak Yadav (RJD)
CPI vs Congress (3 seats):
- Bachhwara – Avadhesh Kumar Rai (CPI) vs Shiv Prakash Garibdas (Congress)
- Rajapakar – Mohit Paswan (CPI) vs Pratima Das (Congress)
- Bihar Sharif – Shiv Kumar Yadav (CPI) vs Umer Khan (Congress)
Disgruntled aspirants from both RJD and Congress have accused leadership of selling tickets, signalling internal dissatisfaction within the alliance ahead of the polls. The final date for filing nomination papers for the second phase was Monday.