Bihar polls: RJD fields 143 candidates; Tejashwi to contest Raghopur
What's the story
The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has declared its list of 143 candidates for the upcoming state elections, a reduction of one seat from the 2020 election, when it contested 144 seats. RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav will contest from the Raghopur assembly seat in Vaishali district. The elections are slated to be held in two phases, on November 6 and November 11, with results due on November 14.
Others
RJD vs. Congress in some seats
Other candidates include Lalit Yadav, who will contest from Darbhanga Rural; Dilip Singh from Barauli; Ram Vilas Paswan in Pirpainti (SC); and Savitri Devi from Chakai. In the Narkatiaganj Assembly seat, Deepak Yadav (RJD) will come face to face with Shaswat Kedar Pandey (Congress); in Kahalgaon, Rajnish Bharti (RJD) will face Praveen Singh Kushwaha (Congress); and in Sikandra (SC), Uday Narayan Chaudhary (RJD) will face Vinod Chaudhary (Congress).
Twitter Post
Check out the list here
RJD releases its list of candidates for the Bihar Assembly Election 2025, fielding candidates in 143 seats. RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav will contest from the Raghopur assembly seat in Vaishali district. pic.twitter.com/wSsMEj8gdm
— ANI (@ANI) October 20, 2025
Candidate list
Congress releases another list of candidates
Simultaneously, the Congress party has released another list of six candidates, taking its total to 60 for these elections. The new candidates include Surendra Prasad Kushwaha from Valmiki Nagar and Abidur Rehman from Araria, among others. This comes as a formal seat-sharing agreement remains elusive between alliance partners RJD and Congress in the Mahagathbandhan.
Political shifts
Mahagathbandhan faces internal strife
The Mahagathbandhan alliance is also witnessing internal strife, with disgruntled members accusing leaders of selling tickets. A sitting MLA from Kasba, Afaque Alam, had earlier accused top party leaders, including Congress chief Rajesh Ram, state in-charge Krishna Allavaru, and legislative party leader Shakeel Ahmed Khan, of demanding bribes. He alleged that he was denied a ticket because he refused to pay. "Tickets were distributed in exchange for money. I lost my ticket because I refused to pay," Alam claimed.