BJP releases first list of 71 candidates as NDA finalizes seat-sharing for Bihar Assembly polls on Nov 6 & 11
On Tuesday, the BJP released the initial list of 71 candidates for the November 6–11 Bihar Assembly elections.
Aadrika Tayal 
New Delhi (India) October 14: For the next Bihar Assembly elections, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) finalized its seat-sharing agreement on Sunday. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal-United (JD-U) will each run for 101 seats.
Jitan Ram Manjhi's Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) and Upendra Kushwaha's Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) will each run for six seats. Chirag Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party-Ram Vilas (LJP-RV) will run for 29 seats.
Top NDA leaders Tawde, RLM chairman Upendra Kushwaha, Bihar BJP President Dilip Jaiswal, JD-U Working President Sanjay Jha, and Chirag Paswan jointly announced the seat-sharing arrangement.
First Candidate List Out
The first list of candidates for the Bihar Assembly elections has been made public by the BJP. The names of 71 candidates, including Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary, are on the initial list.
Samrat Chaudhary will run for the Assembly seat in Tarapur. Rajeev Kumar Singh of the JD-U won the seat in the by-election of 2021.
Patna Sahib Surprise
In a major shift, Ratnesh Kushwaha has emerged as the party's candidate from Patna Sahib. He replaced Bihar Assembly Speaker Nand Kishore Yadav.
Yadav said “I stand by the BJP’s decision. The BJP has given me a lot. I have no complaints with the party. The new generation is welcomed and congratulated. The people of Patna Sahib Assembly have made me victorious seven consecutive times. I will never forget the affection and love they gave me as a BJP candidate. I am grateful to everyone.”
Prominent Faces in List
Choudhary had declared on social media that the NDA parties' seat-sharing issue "has been resolved through amicable discussions" just hours before the BJP released the list.
Vijay Kumar Sinha is the minister of agriculture. He will be running for office in Lakhisarai. Minister of Road Construction Nitin Nabin has been asked to defend his seat in Bankipur. Rohit Pandey and Kundan Kumar have been given the Bhagalpur and Begusarai seats by the BJP. In the 2020 Bihar elections, Ajeet Kumar, the head of the Congress parliamentary party, defeated Pandey for the Bhagalpur seat.
Women Candidates Included
The BJP's initial list of candidates includes nine women in total. Bihar Minister for Animal and Fisheries Resources Renu Devi is nominated from Bettiah. Devanti Yadav (Narpatganj), Sweety Singh (Kishanganj), Gayatri Devi (Parihar), Rama Nishad (Aurai), Nisha Singh (Pranpur), Kavita Devi (Korha), Aruna Devi (Warsaliganj), and Shreyasi Singh (Jamui) are the other ladies on the list.
Elections for the Bihar Assembly will take place in two stages on November 6 and 11. The count is scheduled for November 14, 2025.
