Patna / New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday announced its first list of candidates for the four assembly seats going to by-elections in Bihar next month, putting to rest speculation about a rift within the NDA over seat-sharing with the Janata Dal (United) and the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas).
According to the list, the BJP will contest two seats — Belaganj and Imamganj — while JDU and LJP (RV) will field candidates in the remaining two constituencies under the seat-sharing arrangement announced by state BJP chief Samrat Choudhary.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who met BJP national president JP Nadda in New Delhi last week, confirmed the alliance was “rock solid” ahead of the by-polls and the 2025 general elections. Kumar, who has switched political sides multiple times in the past decade, reiterated that the JDU would remain committed to the NDA under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership.
The by-elections were necessitated after four MLAs from the ruling coalition vacated their assembly seats following their election to the Lok Sabha in the June general elections. The Election Commission of India had earlier announced the schedule, with polling to be held in a single phase.
The opposition Mahagathbandhan — comprising the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Congress, and the Left parties — announced a joint candidate for all four seats, with RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav describing the by-elections as a “report card” for the NDA government’s three-year performance in the state.
Political analysts in Patna believe the by-elections will serve as a crucial litmus test for Nitish Kumar’s popularity ahead of the 2025 Bihar assembly elections. Recent surveys suggest the ruling coalition retains an edge, but the opposition has been gaining ground in urban constituencies.
