A closer reading of Mahagathbandhan's list of candidates for the upcoming Bihar will surely add a new facet to the eagerly watched electoral contest -- which till now has been ridden by deep inter-party fissures as the principal opposition failed to arrive at a conclusive seat-sharing formula.
The individual naming of candidates by Mahagathbandhan constituents will see direct contests on at least 11 seats. The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Congress will face each other on six seats, the CPI and Congress on four, and Mukesh Sahani's Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) will challenge the RJD on one seat -- Chainpur.
The direct contest on as many as 11 seats became apparent after the RJD released a list of 143 candidates, including seats also contested by Congress, highlighting ongoing conflict within the bloc just ahead of the first phase of the Bihar polls. The seats where RJD will face off against the Congress are Vaishali, Sikandra, Kahalgaon, Sultanganj, Narkatiaganj, and Warsaliganj. Meanwhile, the Left and the Congress have pitted candidates against each other in Bachhwara, Rajapakar, Bihar Sharif, and Karghar.
Political observers are of the opinion that such internal face-offs could split the opposition vote, potentially benefiting the BJP-led NDA in several constituencies. This was echoed by Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan on Monday, who emphasised that the Mahagathbandhan gave the NDA a walkover on many "challenging seats".
"I have never seen an election where such a big alliance is on the verge of a split. There can be a dispute over the choice of seats, but they have not been able to decide even the number of seats," Paswan, whose party is contesting on 29 seats, said. While the opposition has tried to project it as friendly fights, Paswan downplayed the narrative. "There is nothing called friendly fight. Either you are friends or you are fighting against each other. If you are contesting polls against each other and targeting leaders, how can you expect this won't have an impact in other seats?" Paswan added.
The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), an important ally in the INDIA bloc, has confirmed it will not participate in the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, citing unresolved seat-sharing disputes with the RJD. JMM's withdrawal comes as candidate lists show direct contests among alliance partners in 11 constituencies, signalling tension within the opposition. The nomination deadline has passed, with JMM not declaring any candidates despite earlier announcements.
JMM general secretary Supriyo Bhattacharya had outlined plans to contest from six constituencies—Jamui, Chakai, Dhamdaha, Manihari, Pirpainti, and Katoria—but no candidate names were released before the nomination process closed on 20 October, confirming the party's absence from the polls.JMM minister Sudivya Kumar blamed the RJD for the breakdown in seat-sharing talks, calling their conduct "political cunningness" and expressing a sense of betrayal.
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