External and internal flak

With the deadline for filing nominations for both phases of the Bihar Assembly election ending on Monday (October 20, 2025), the Mahagatbandhan or Opposition alliance has fielded 253 candidates, ten more than the total number of seats in the Bihar Assembly. Smaller allies are pointing fingers at both the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Congress for taking the negotiations down to the wire, leaving little elbow room for others.

In five seats — Vaishali, Narkatiaganj, Sikandara, Kahalgaon, and Sultanganj — the Congress and the RJD candidates are facing off against each other. In the last Assembly election, the Congress had unsuccessfully contested all five of these seats. In Sikandara, the Congress lost by 5,505 votes, while its losing margin in Vaishali was 7,413 votes.    

In another four seats — Bihar Sharif, Raja Pakar, Bachchwara and Kargahar — the contest is the Congress versus the Communist Party of India. Of these, the Congress won the Raja Pakar and Kargahar seats in the 2020 election, and their incumbent legislators are again in the fray. The Vikassheel Insaan Party and RJD are also facing off against each other in one seat. 

Amidst all this tussling, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, which was part of the initial rounds of negotiations, was not offered any berth. 

External and internal flak

The Mahagatbandhan is hoping to shift the narrative back towards Opposition unity. “In a day or two, we will be presenting our joint manifesto. It will be presented by senior leaders of all constituent parties,” a senior RJD leader said.  

The situation has prompted cheer in the ruling National Democratic Alliance, with several leaders calling out the confusion in the Opposition camp.

However, several Mahagatbandhan leaders also raised questions about the prolonged negotiations that went down to the wire. CPI general secretary D. Raja said, “RJD and the Congress are the larger parties in Bihar and they should have settled their own seat negotiations in such a way that other allies are also accommodated well. After all, we are not asking for a huge share… We are asking for only a few seats.” The CPI was offered six seats, the same number it contested in 2020. However, it has now fielded candidates in nine seats.

Downplaying discord

CPI(ML) leaders also accused the RJD of citing the excuse of new partners in the Mahagatbandhan for not raising their party’s seat share, while the RJD only shaved off one seat from its own 2020 share of 144 seats. The RJD is contesting the highest number of seats in this election. 

However, CPI(ML) general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya said that it is a closed issue now. “There is a clarity among people, they want a change. Heartburn among those denied seats and such confusion early during the campaign is natural. Its impact should not be overestimated,” he said. 

The RJD’s Buxar MP and former Agriculture Minister Sudhakar Singh noted that the NDA too is not free of problems, with Home Minister Amit Shah himself raising questions about Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s leadership. “Jitan Ram Manjhi [of HAMS] continues to speak out against the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas). Upendra Kushwaha [of RLM] meanwhile has openly said that he feels cheated and is keeping away from the campaign. Our differences are magnified while the problems within the NDA are underplayed,” Mr. Singh said.