The party is banking on Nitish Kumar's development card and his "social engineering" of extreme backward castes, Mahadalits and Muslims, spokesman Neeraj Kumar said.
Prominent leaders in the fray Monday are former union minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, Raghunath Jha, filmmaker Prakash Jha, Rama Singh, Satish Dubey Hina Sahab, wife of tainted and jailed former MP Mohammad Shahabuddin, Annu Shukhla, wife of jailed former legislator Munna Shukhla.
In West Champaran, Prakash Jha is trying his luck for the third time. Pitted against him is outgoing MP Sanjay Jaiswal of the BJP and Raghunath Jha of the RJD.