BJP Announces First 71 Candidates in Bihar; NDA Seat‑Sharing Talks Still in Motion

 

Patna | October 14, 2025 — With Bihar gearing up for assembly elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has officially announced its first list of 71 candidates, even as internal discussions over seat-sharing within the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) are still being finalized.

The announcement comes as part of the NDA’s early election strategy to take a lead in candidate selection and fielding strong contenders across the state.

Big Names, Big Moves

BJP has fielded both Deputy Chief Ministers in the list:

Samrat Choudhary will contest from Tarapur.

Vijay Kumar Sinha has been given a ticket from Lakhisarai.

Prominent names like former Deputy CM Tarkishore Prasad (Katihar), senior BJP leader Prem Kumar (Gaya Town), and Ram Kripal Yadav (Danapur) are also featured on the list.

Interestingly, some veteran leaders have been dropped. For example, Nand Kishore Yadav will not contest from Patna Sahib, with the party choosing Ratnesh Kushwaha in his place.

Newer faces and reshuffles include Mangal Pandey (Siwan) and Alok Ranjan Jha (Saharsa).

This first list covers a majority of the seats the BJP plans to contest but leaves several still pending final declaration as NDA partners finalize their slots.

NDA Seat-Sharing: What's the Formula?

While the BJP has moved ahead with its list, formal seat-sharing within the NDA was announced only recently:

BJP and JD(U) will contest 101 seats each.

LJP (Ram Vilas) has been allocated 29 seats.

Smaller allies HAM and Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) have received 6 seats each.

Despite the official numbers, alliance insiders suggest that backchannel negotiations are ongoing, with some discontent among smaller partners over constituency preferences and winnability concerns.

Election Strategy in Motion

With this early announcement, the BJP aims to:

Lock down loyal voter bases in key constituencies.

Allow candidates more time to campaign and mobilize local resources.

Set the tone ahead of opposition alliances, which are yet to release their full slates.

However, observers note that internal rifts and dissatisfaction among NDA allies could still shake things up in the coming days.

What's Next?

As campaigning picks up pace, the focus will now shift to:

Finalization of remaining NDA seats.

Candidate announcements by the RJD-led INDIA bloc.

Public response to BJP’s new faces and dropped veterans.

Political analysts believe that the balance between experienced leaders and fresh candidates will play a crucial role in shaping the BJP's performance this election cycle.