Confusion continues in Mahagatbandhan 

With just three days remaining to the deadline for filing nominations for the first phase of elections to the Bihar Assembly, the Mahagatbandhan is yet to declare division of seats among its allies. Amidst the confusion, each party is finalising its list of candidates and intense negotiations are on between the allies to swap seats.

The deadline for filing nominations for the 121 seats that go to the polls in the first phase is October 17.

The second meeting of the Congress Election Committee (CEC) was held on Tuesday (October 14, 2025) evening. After a three-hour meeting, the CEC decided to set up a four-member committee, headed by Ajay Maken, which will decide on the candidates after the seat-sharing negotiations are over. The Congress is expected to contest around 58-60 seats but there are differences over five seats with the RJD.

The Congress in its first round of CEC meeting had cleared 25 seats.

“We had launched INDIA bloc from Patna in 2023 with the common resolve BJP Hatao, Desh Bachao. But we seem to forget about it during seat sharing negotiations. The INDIA bloc has paid for this mistake in Haryana and Maharashtra. We hope everyone would learn from their mistakes and be more accommodative,” D. Raja, CPI general secretary said, commenting on the drawn out negotiations.

The CPI(ML), meanwhile, has started preparing to file nominations on at least 18 seats that have been cleared between the allies.

On Monday night, Rashtriya Janata Dal president Lalu Prasad Yadav, according to sources, had distributed the party symbol to half a dozen candidates. When the leader of Opposition in the Bihar Assembly and the RJD’s chief ministerial face Tejashwi Yadav returned to Patna he overturned his father’s decision, asking the leaders to return the symbol for now.

CPI(ML) candidate

Divya Gautam, the late actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s cousin, has been named as the Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation’s candidate. Rajput was found dead in June 2020 at his residence in Mumbai. The Mumbai Police investigation revealed that he had died by suicide and the BJP ran a campaign “Justice for Sushant” before the 2020 Assembly election, claiming foul play.

Ms. Gautam, a theatre artist and former All India Students’ Association (AISA) leader, has been fielded from the Digha Assembly seat. She is scheduled to file her nomination on Wednesday. She had contested the Patna University Students Union election but narrowly lost. She currently teaches at Patna University. The CPI(ML) is yet to formally release its list of candidates.

VIP climbs down

Vikassheel Insaan Party leader Mukesh Sahani, who began negotiations demanding 35 seats, has now agreed to 25 seats. According to sources, the allies want to offer him fewer seats. There was speculation that Mr. Sahani, who switched sides from the NDA to the grand alliance recently, was also negotiating with the BJP. But with the NDA declaring its seat sharing arrangement, options are limited for Mr. Sahani.