The ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on Thursday (October 16, 2025) completed the announcement of its candidates for all 243 constituencies ahead of the Bihar Assembly election.
On Thursday, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) announced its second and final list of 44 candidates while the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) and Upendra Kushwaha’s Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) also announced nominees for their remaining seats.
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The JD(U) has fielded turncoats Chetan Anand and Vibha Devi from Nabinagar and Nawada respectively. Both Mr. Chetan Anand, son of strongman Anand Mohan, and Ms. Vibha Devi were earlier associated with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). Besides, the JD(U) has nominated Kaladhar Mandal from Rupauli.
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The JD(U) and the BJP are contesting from 101 seats each. The BJP has already announced its 101 candidates and its third and final list was released on October 15. Chirag Paswan’s LJP(RV) and RLM are contesting from 29 and six seats respectively. Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) had released its list of all six candidates on Tuesday (October 14).
Thirteen women candidates and four Muslim leaders feature among the JD(U)‘s 101 nominees. It has also attempted a caste balance by allotting the maximum number of 37 tickets to candidates from the Other Backward Classes (OBCs). The party has given tickets to 22 candidates each from the Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs) and the Upper Castes, followed by 14 candidates from the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and one from a Scheduled Tribe (ST).
Mr. Kushwaha released his party’s second list of two candidates on Thursday. The party has fielded Rameshwar Kumar Mahato from Bajpatti and Madan Choudhary from Paroo. A day earlier, the party had released its first list of four candidates, which included Mr. Kushwaha’s wife Snehlata, contesting from the Sasaram Assembly constituency.
Similarly, Mr. Paswan released the LJP(RV)‘s second list of 15 candidates on Thursday. The first list of 14 candidates came out on October 15. Overall, the party has nominated six women to contest the upcoming polls. As for the social equation, it has allocated five seats each to the Rajputs and Yadavs, four seats each to the Paswan and Bhumihar communities, and the remaining 11 seats have been distributed among different groups such as Dhobi, Kanu, Ravidas, Kushwaha and Muslim.
Interestingly, before the Assembly election, Mr. Paswan had expressed interest in contesting the Assembly election. However, his name does not figure in the list of 29 candidates.
Nominations filed
Bihar’s Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary and several Ministers filed their nominations on Thursday. Chief Ministers from several States and senior BJP leaders attended the nomination rallies held in various Assembly constituencies in a show of strength by the NDA.
Mr. Choudhary filed his nomination from Tarapur, Nitin Nabin from Bankipur, Sanjay Gupta from Kumhrar, Ram Kripal Yadav from Danapur, Siddharth Saurav from Bikram and Kumar Pranay from Munger. As many as 18 candidates of the BJP filed their nomination papers during the day.
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav were among those who attended the nomination rallies of BJP leaders.
Addressing a nomination meeting in Danapur, Patna, Mr. Adityanath strongly criticised the Opposition and praised the NDA government. He said that the welfare of the poor has never been on the agenda of the RJD and the Congress and their agenda was only “the welfare of their own families”. He asserted that the “mafia and notorious criminals” involved in kidnapping in Uttar Pradesh “were sent to hell”.
Mr. Sai addressed the nomination meetings in Tarapur and Bankipur, while the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister attended NDA meetings held in Danapur and Saharsa. Mr. Mohan Yadav addressed public meetings in Kumhrar and Bikram.
Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya addressed public meetings in Khajauli and Jhanjharpur while Lok Sabha MP Manoj Tiwari sought votes for NDA candidates in Kudhni and Amnour. Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha campaigned for NDA candidates in Chhatapur and Sikti, and Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister Arun Sao campaigned in Hajipur, Lalganj, and Patepur.
Star campaigners
BJP also released its list of 40 star campaigners, featuring top leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP chief J.P. Nadda, and Union Ministers Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh. The list features a mix of prominent names, including Chief Ministers and celebrities. Among the five BJP Chief Ministers in the list are Assam’s Himanta Biswa Sarma, Delhi’s Rekha Gupta and Maharashtra’s Devendra Fadnavis.
Mr. Nitish Kumar started his campaign from Darbhanga and addressed public meetings in support of NDA candidates, asserting that everyone should vote for the development of Bihar.
Published – October 16, 2025 10:03 pm IST