Bihar Elections 2025: Over 1,250 file nomination papers for 121 seats in first phase

Election fever gripped Bihar on Friday as the filing of nomination papers for the first phase of Assembly polls concluded, with the ruling NDA projecting a resolute campaign in sharp contrast to the disarray seen in the opposition INDIA bloc. According to the Election Commission, more than 1,250 candidates filed their papers for the 121 seats which go to polls on November 6, and the number was likely to go up as data was still flowing in from districts. In at least half-a-dozen constituencies, more than one INDIA bloc candidate has filed nomination papers and these seats may end up witnessing "friendly fights" among the constituents unless one of the nominees pulls out by October 20.

Social media influencer Manish Kashyap, also known as Tripurari Kumar Tiwari, will contest the Chanpatia assembly seat in Bihar as a Jan Suraaj candidate, the party said on Friday. Kashyap, who joined Jan Suraaj in July after briefly being with the BJP, shared the update on X, saying, "The time has arrived to usher in a change in Chanpatia, become the voice of the people, and realise the dreams of Jan Suraaj.

Bihar minister Mangal Pandey has declared moveable and immovable assets worth over Rs 2.34 crore in his election affidavit, officials said on Friday. Pandey, a former state BJP president contesting assembly polls for the first time, is contesting from Siwan. According to Pandey's affidavit, he holds movable assets worth Rs 1.47 crore and immovable property worth Rs 87 lakh. His wife holds movable assets worth Rs 52.84 lakh and immovable assets worth Rs 43 lakh.

Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan (Lalan) Singh on Friday said that the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections will be contested under the leadership of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. He reaffirmed that the NDA alliance stands united behind Nitish Kumar as its leader in the state.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah took a swipe at the opposition RJD for giving a ticket to late gangster-turned-politician Mohammad Shahabuddin's son, Osama Shahab, asking how it can ensure the security of the people of Bihar if it fields such candidates. Addressing an election rally in Saran district of the poll-bound state, Shah claimed the NDA will return to power in the state with the biggest majority in 20 years. The RJD has fielded Shahab from the Raghunathpur assembly constituency in Siwan district.

The Election Commission on Friday asked enforcement agencies and security forces to take pro-active and preventive action during the Bihar elections to ensure drugs, liquor and cash are not used to sway voters. The meeting was held to prepare a comprehensive roadmap to combat the pernicious effects of cash and other inducements in elections, the poll authority said. The different agencies briefed the commission regarding their preparation, steps taken and proposed to be taken for ensuring inducement free elections.

Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) chief Mukesh Sahni's brother, Sunil Sahni, has filed his nomination papers from Darbhanga's Gaura Boram Assembly constituency. Until 12 noon today, there was widespread speculation that Mukesh Sahni himself would contest from the seat. However, at the last moment, he fielded his brother as the party's candidate.

Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) chief Mukesh Sahni announced that he will not contest the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections. Instead, Sahni said he will dedicate his efforts to campaigning for his party's candidates across the state. "I have decided not to contest this election. My focus will be on ensuring the victory of our candidates and strengthening the party’s presence in every region of Bihar,” Sahni said while addressing reporters in Patna.

Congress MP Akhilesh Singh confirmed that Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav will be the chief ministerial face of the Mahagathbandhan alliance in Bihar. Singh said that discussions on seat-sharing among the alliance partners are currently underway.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah stated, "I have reviewed the RJD’s list of candidates, and it includes the name of Shahabuddin’s son. Can Bihar remain safe if RJD awards an election ticket to him?"

Launching a scathing attack at the RJD, Home Minister Amit Shah said the NDA and Nitish Kumar's fight has been against the "jungle raj" which came to existence during Lalu and Rabri's tenure as Bihar chief ministers.

"If you want to know how Lalu-Rabri kept Bihar under their rule, there cannot be a better place than Chhapra. NDA and Nitish Kumar’s fight was against their ‘jungle raj’ back then, and now it is against that ideology. I want to tell you all that NDA is going to form the government with the biggest ever majority in the last 20 years. We are contesting the Bihar elections under Nitish Kumar, while PM Modi is the central figure of the NDA. Bihar will get to celebrate Diwali four times this year," he said while addressing a rally at Saran in Chhapra district.

RLD leader Malook Nagar commented on Union Home Minister Amit Shah's recent statement regarding the NDA's chief ministerial face in the 2025 Bihar elections:

"Amit Shah has clearly stated that if the NDA wins, Nitish ji will become the Chief Minister, and an official declaration will be made after the elections. It is clear that there is no infighting in our NDA, unlike in the Mahagathbandhan.

As Congress assumes it will win many seats, it is mistaken in its calculations. That is why they are not making any declarations yet. Tejashwi Yadav declared Rahul Gandhi as the prime ministerial candidate, but he did not do the same in Bihar by declaring Tejashwi as the chief ministerial candidate.

That's why they are holding rallies separately. Still, Congress seats are not increasing, which is why they are fighting."

Congress leader Tariq Anwar said there is no harm in naming Tejashwi Yadav as the Mahagathbandhan's chief ministerial face, even as the alliance struggles with a seat-sharing impasse while the deadline for filing phase-1 ends on Friday.

Campaigning for the BJP in Begusarai, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said, "Whether it is Begusarai or the rest of Bihar, the momentum is clearly in favour of the NDA. The people are supporting the NDA. Bihar has always shown great affection for Prime Minister Modi, and the state has consistently stood by him. I believe that under the leadership of PM Modi and Nitish Kumar, Bihar is once again aligned with the NDA."

HAM(S) leader Jitan Ram Manjhi said, "Amit Shah is one of the key leaders of the NDA, and if he has made a statement, it should be considered official. However, personally, I feel that the name of the prospective Chief Minister should be decided before the election. There should be no ambiguity. This kind of uncertainty exists in the Mahagathbandhan, which is why their candidate list has not yet been finalised.

"Personally, I believe it is important that the public is informed in advance about who will be the Chief Minister before the election," he added.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami received a warm welcome from BJP leaders and workers upon his arrival in Bihar today.

During his visit, the Chief Minister met Union Minister Pralhad Joshi, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Diya Kumari, and former Union Minister and MP Anurag Singh Thakur.

On seat sharing in the Mahagathbandhan, Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan (Lalan) Singh says, "It is not a Mahagathbandhan but a 'Thagbandhan'. Now they are cheating each other..." He further says, "The statement of the Home Minister is being twisted and presented out of context. The Home Minister has repeatedly said that we are contesting the Bihar Assembly elections under the leadership of Nitish Kumar. Who will be the Chief Minister will be decided by the NDA legislative party. This has been the tradition... The Home Minister's statement should be seen in its full context... The opposition parties have no election issues, so they are resorting to such misinformation to gain political mileage..."

Senior BJP leader Amit Shah is meeting Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar at the latter's residence in Patna. Today is the last date of filing phase 1 nominations for the Bihar assembly elections.

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Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has released its list of candidates for the elections. A total of 40 candidates have been given the ticket from the party for the elections which will be held on November 6 and 11.

Following the seat-sharing agreement within the Mahagathbandhan, nominations will be filed today. Mukesh Sahani and state president Bal Govind Bind will file their nominations. Mukesh Sahani will contest from the Gaura Bauram seat, while Bal Govind Bind will file from the Bhabhua Assembly seat.

Bhogendra Sahani will be the VIP candidate from the Aurai Assembly constituency, with the party allotting him the symbol. Umesh Sahani will contest from Darbhanga Urban, and Prem Shankar Yadav will be the VIP candidate from the Gopalpur Assembly constituency, with the party providing the symbol in both cases.

JDU MP Sanjay Jha said the NDA had announced candidates on all seats while there was a tussle in NDA. He said NDA will win Bihar Election with a huge margin.

On Upendra Kushwaha's 'all is not well' remark, BJP Bihar chief Dilip Jaiswal said: "every party wants more seats for its leaders and workers. But we reached a consensus on seat-sharing. In fact the NDA was the first alliance to declare its seat-sharing pact."   Click here to read more

After seat-sharing talks were finalised within the Mahagathbandhan, the Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP), party chief Mukesh Sahni and state president Bal Govind Bind are set to file their nominations today.

Mukesh Sahni will contest from Gaura Bauram, while Bal Govind Bind will file nomination from Bhabhua Assembly seat.

Bhogendra Sahni has been announced as the VIP candidate from Aurai Assembly constituency. He was given the party symbol by Mukesh Sahni.

From Darbhanga Urban seat, Umesh Sahni will contest as VIP’s candidate, while from Gopalpur Assembly seat, Prem Shankar Yadav will be the party’s face.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma is set to campaign in Bihar today for the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections. According to the proposed schedule, the Chief Minister will embark on a one-day visit to Bihar to boost his party's (BJP) campaign momentum, addressing a major election rally in Dumra, Sitamarhi.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who is on a three-day visit to poll-bound Bihar, is likely to address a rally in Saran district and an intellectuals' meet here on Friday, BJP leaders said. Shah met senior party leaders in Patna on Thursday night and reviewed preparations for the upcoming assembly elections, they said.

A team of the Election Commission of India will shortly hold a meeting with the Committee of Heads of Enforcement Agencies and Heads of Forces to begin. Chief Secretary and DGP of Bihar will also join the meeting online along with CEO Bihar.

BJP MP Ravi Kishan said the people in Bihar have made up their mind to bring back PM Modi and Nitish Kumar. He said Tejashwi Yadav was only the man of words, not actions.

Amid seat-sharing tussle in Mahagathbandhan, BJP national spokesperson Guru Prakash Paswan said the Opposition’s alliance was on the verge of a collapse.

Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) National President and former Union Minister Upendra Kushwaha on Thursday said that his party has not been sidelined and it will contest six seats in the upcoming Bihar Legislative Assembly elections 2025.

"There's no confusion. Sometimes it takes time for everyone to present their point of view... The discussion is only taking as much time as it takes," Khera said.

On Yogi Adityanath’s poll campaign, he said, “First, he should take responsibility for the 'jungle raj' he has created in Uttar Pradesh... God save Bihar. We don't want the Adityanath model here.”

BJP on Thursday released a list of star campaigners for phase 1 of Bihar Elections.

The NDA allies will fight the Bihar Assembly elections under the leadership of JD-U chief Nitish Kumar and a decision on who will head the next government will be taken by the elected legislators after the polls, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Thursday.

Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) National President and former Union Minister Upendra Kushwaha on Thursday said that his party has not been sidelined and it will contest six seats in the upcoming Bihar Legislative Assembly elections 2025.

Former Lok Sabha MP and four-time MLA from Bihar's Jokihat, Sarfaraz Alam, on Thursday joined the Jan Suraaj Party, hours after resigning from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). Alam is the son of late RJD leader from Seemanchal region Tasleem Uddin.

The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has fielded Bhojpuri superstar Khesari Lal Yadav as its candidate from the Chhapra Assembly constituency for the upcoming Bihar elections. Initially, the party had allotted the ticket to Chanda Devi, Khesari Lal's wife. However, after it was found that her name was not on the voter list, the RJD decided to replace her with Khesari Lal.

According to sources, an agreement has been reached with Mukesh Sahani regarding seat-sharing. VIP will contest election on 15 seats in Bihar. If the government is formed, Mukesh Sahani will become the Deputy Chief Minister in the Mahagathbandhan government. He has also been assured one Rajya Sabha seat and one Legislative Council seat.

The nomination process for the first phase of the Bihar Assembly elections concludes today. In this phase, voting will take place on November 6 across 121 of the state's 243 assembly constituencies.

Union Home Minister and NDA chairman Amit Shah is in Bihar for key meetings ahead of Bihar Polls. He will kickstart coalition’s poll campaign today

Amid uncertainty over seat-sharing within the Mahagathbandhan, the Congress on Thursday night released its first list of 48 candidates for the upcoming Bihar Assembly polls. The party has fielded Bihar Congress Legislative Party leader Shakeel Ahmad Khan from the Kadwa Assembly seat. As per the list, the party has fielded Rajesh Ram from Kutumba. Jayesh Mangal Singh has been fielded from Bagaha and Amit Giri has been fielded from Nautan. Abhishek Ranjan will contest from Chanpatia and Wasi Ahmed will fight from Bettiah constituency.