In a dramatic move that threatens to upend the National Democratic Alliance (NDA)'s carefully crafted unity in Bihar, the Janata Dal United (JDU) on Wednesday released its first list of 57 candidates for the upcoming Assembly elections, directly challenging its ally, the Chirag Paswan-led Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas).
The list includes candidates for five key constituencies—Sonbarsha, Rajgir, Gaighat, Ekma, and Morwa—which were officially allocated to the LJP(RV) under the NDA's seat-sharing pact. This bold act of defiance has exposed the deep-seated fissures within the ruling coalition just weeks before the state goes to polls.
A Direct Challenge to the Alliance Pact
The five seats in question had been a major bone of contention during the seat-sharing negotiations between the JDU and the LJP(RV). While the alliance leadership ultimately awarded these constituencies to Chirag Paswan's party, the JDU's decision to field its own candidates signals a severe breakdown in consensus.
The JDU has nominated:
Vidya Sagar Nishad from Morwa
Ratnesh Sada from Sonbarsha
Kaushal Kishore from Rajgir
Komal Singh from Gaighat
Dhumal Singh from Ekma
This move is seen as a direct retaliation from the JDU, which had expressed "strong displeasure" just a day earlier over the allocation of several of its stronghold seats to alliance partners. By fielding its own men, the JDU is attempting to reassert its dominance and signal that it will not easily cede ground, even to an ally.
A Look Back at the 2020 Electoral History
The JDU's aggression on these specific seats is not without reason. A look at the 2020 election results reveals why these constituencies are so fiercely contested:
Sonbarsha & Rajgir: These were seats won by the JDU in the last election. Ratnesh Sada and Kaushal Kishore, who have been re-nominated now, were the sitting MLAs. The LJP(RV), then under Chirag Paswan, had finished a distant third in both, making the JDU's claim to these seats particularly strong in their view.
Morwa, Gaighat, and Ekma: While these three seats were won by the opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) in 2020, the JDU was the runner-up in each. The LJP(RV) had again finished third. The JDU believes that with a unified NDA, it is best positioned to wrest these seats from the RJD, and views the LJP(RV)'s candidacy as a liability that could split the NDA vote.
Implications for the NDA and the Road Ahead
This unprecedented move plunges the NDA's Bihar campaign into uncertainty. For the BJP, which has positioned itself as the central pillar of the alliance, this is a major managerial challenge. The party now faces the delicate task of mediating between two key allies who are effectively set to contest against each other in at least five constituencies.
The situation creates a confusing scenario for voters and risks splitting the pro-NDA vote, potentially benefiting the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) led by the RJD and Congress.
The ball is now in the court of the LJP(RV) and the BJP's central leadership. Will Chirag Paswan relent and re-negotiate the seat-sharing agreement? Or will the BJP step in with a firm hand to force a compromise? With the Bihar Assembly Elections scheduled to be held in two phases on November 6 and 11, and the vote count on November 14, the NDA has very little time to plug this leak in its alliance ship. The JDU's first list has ensured that the road to the 2025 Bihar polls will be anything but smooth.
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