Bihar Election 2025:Curtains have virtually fallen on speculations that political strategist-turned-activist Prashant Kishor may contest against Tejashwi Yadav in Bihar’s Raghopur constituency. The Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) on Tuesday announced Chanchal Singh as its candidate from Raghopur — a seat in Vaishali district where the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader is eyeing a third straight victory.
JSP national president Uday Singh formally handed over the party symbol to Chanchal Singh, with a photo of the event shared later on social media. Unlike its earlier announcements, which were made at crowded press conferences unveiling 51 and 66 candidates respectively, this declaration came quietly, away from the media glare, news agency PTI reported.
The JSP has reiterated that it plans to contest all 243 Assembly seats in Bihar, though the party is yet to name its candidate for Phulparas in Madhubani district — a seat that in 1977 elected former Chief Minister Karpoori Thakur, remembered for introducing reservations for backward classes long before the Mandal era.
When asked recently about Tejashwi Yadav’s possible decision to contest from Phulparas as a second seat, Prashant Kishor had remarked, “Tejashwi Yadav will then definitely lose Raghopur, just like his ally Rahul Gandhi, who in 2019 had won Wayanad but conceded defeat in Amethi.”
Congress Leader Hints at Mahagathbandhan’s Seat-Sharing Announcement
Meanwhile, discussions within the opposition Mahagathbandhan over seat distribution in Bihar are said to be in their final stages. According to Congress national spokesperson Abhay Dubey, the alliance could unveil its seat-sharing arrangement by Wednesday morning.
Speaking to reporters in Patna on Tuesday, Dubey said, “We are discussing every single seat carefully.” He claimed that the BJP’s partial candidates’ list released earlier clearly pointed to internal tensions within the NDA.
Taking aim at Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Dubey alleged that the JD(U) leader had become inaccessible even to his own party members. “Nitish Kumar is neither meeting journalists nor his own party leaders. One of his MPs, Ajay Kumar Mandal, has resigned as he was not allowed to meet the CM. Another MLA, Gopal Mandal, was sitting outside the CM’s residence. Where is the CM of Bihar? Why is he not interacting publicly?” he questioned.
Dubey further alleged that the NDA had marginalised its EBC (Extremely Backward Classes) and SC (Scheduled Caste) leaders. “Despite his sincere and repeated requests, Jitan Ram Manjhi’s HAM was given merely six seats,” he said, adding that the JD(U) was being run by a few leaders “remotely from Delhi”.
BJP’s Partial List Signals Rift Within NDA, Claims Congress
Dubey also pointed out that the BJP had postponed the NDA’s joint press conference on Monday and subsequently announced only a partial list of candidates on Tuesday. “This is a clear indication of friction within the NDA,” he asserted.
On the other hand, the Congress leader emphasised that the Mahagathbandhan remained united and deliberate in its approach, saying, “We are discussing every single seat carefully.”
