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Bihar’s Mahagathbandhan is in turmoil ahead of the 2025 Assembly polls, with seat-sharing clashes, rebel candidates, and unexpected walkouts threatening the alliance’s unity. Can the opposition overcome internal chaos to take on the NDA?
Mahagathbandhan faces internal rift.
Patna: The Mahagathbandhan in Bihar is facing fresh challenges ahead of the Assembly elections, as internal infighting and seat-sharing disputes have surfaced among opposition allies.
The crisis intensified after Hemant Soren’s Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) walked out of alliance discussions, while tensions between the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Congress have emerged in several constituencies.
Following the conclusion of second-phase nomination filings on Monday, a total of 1,314 candidates remain in the fray for 121 seats of the 243-member Bihar Assembly, with polling scheduled for November 6. During the process, 61 nominations were withdrawn, and more than 300 were rejected by the Election Commission.
RJD unveils first candidate list for Bihar Elections 2025; What does it reveal about party strategy?
The RJD, which leads the Mahagathbandhan and has been the single-largest party in the last two assembly elections, released its list of 143 candidates only after most nomination filings had been completed.
While the party avoided a direct clash with Congress in the reserved Kutumba constituency allowing Bihar Congress president Rajesh Kumar Ram to contest unopposed under the alliance understanding- RJD candidates will face Congress nominees in Lalganj, Vaishali, and Kahalgaon, signaling continuing friction in certain areas.
Another source of tension is the RJD’s backing of select Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) candidates. In Tarapur, the VIP withdrew its candidate Sakaldeo Bind after he joined the BJP in protest, following the NDA’s decision to field Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary.
In Gaura Boram, RJD president Lalu Prasad Yadav wrote to the Chief Electoral Officer supporting VIP candidate Santosh Sahni, instructing that anyone filing under the RJD symbol (the lantern) should not be considered valid. However, Afzal Ali, who filed as an RJD candidate, refused to withdraw, creating a confusing situation for party workers in Darbhanga district.
Infighting is expected in constituencies such as Bachhwara, Rajapakar, and Rosera, where Congress and CPI have fielded candidates. At Rajapakar, sitting MLA Pratima Kumari Das will defend the seat for Congress.
Potential Face-Offs Within Mahagathbandhan.
Congress is contesting 61 seats, five fewer than in 2020, when the party had won only 19 seats a performance cited as a key reason for the Mahagathbandhan’s inability to secure a majority in the last assembly.
The RJD is also dealing with a rebellion in Parihar, where party women’s wing chief Ritu Jaiswal filed her nomination as an independent, upset over the ticket being given to the daughter-in-law of former state president Ram Chandra Purve.
Independent MP Pappu Yadav from Purnea, whose wife Ranjeet Ranjan is a Congress Rajya Sabha MP, has added another layer of complexity.
His loyalists have been allotted tickets over sitting MLAs or placed in constituencies with low winning chances, leading to further discontent.
The Vikassheel Insaan Party, previously demanding 40–50 seats and a Deputy Chief Minister post for Mukesh Sahni, has scaled down to 16 constituencies.
The CPI(ML) Liberation, which had a strong performance in 2020, contesting 19 seats and winning 12, will now contest 20 seats. Meanwhile, the CPI will contest 9 seats, and CPI(M), which also has two MLAs, will field candidates in 4 constituencies.
With internal disputes, ticket rebellions, and independent candidates, the Mahagathbandhan faces a critical test in maintaining unity ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections.
