Polling for the first phase of the Bihar Assembly elections will be held on Thursday, November 6, across 121 constituencies in 18 districts, forming an irregular ellipse in the middle of the state that meets the eastern border of Uttar Pradesh.
The campaign for this phase ended on November 4, as per Election Commission guidelines. A total of 1,314 candidates are contesting in this round, which features several political heavyweights from both the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the Opposition Mahagathbandhan. The second phase of polling will be conducted on November 11.
Among the key candidates in this phase are BJP leaders Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, both Deputy Chief Ministers in the Nitish Kumar-led NDA government, and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, the Opposition’s chief ministerial face.
BJP’s Samrat Choudhary in Fray from Tarapur
Samrat Choudhary, contesting from Tarapur, has re-entered the electoral field after serving two terms in the Bihar Legislative Council. Previously, he represented the Parbatta Assembly constituency in 2000 and 2010 as an RJD candidate and has held ministerial portfolios under multiple chief ministers, including Rabri Devi, Jitan Ram Manjhi, and Nitish Kumar. His ministerial responsibilities have included Agriculture, Panchayati Raj, Urban Development, Health, and Horticulture.
In the 2020 Assembly election, JD(U)’s Mewa Lal Choudhary had won the Tarapur seat, defeating RJD’s Divya Prakash by over 7,000 votes. Samrat Choudhary, now with the BJP, will turn 57 just two days after the results are announced on November 14.
Vijay Kumar Sinha Contests from Lakhisarai
Deputy CM Vijay Kumar Sinha, 58, is contesting from Lakhisarai, a constituency he has represented since 2010. In the 2020 elections, he defeated Congress candidate Amaresh Kumar by a margin of nearly 10,500 votes. Earlier, in 2015, he had bested JD(U)’s Ramanand Mandal by over 6,500 votes when Nitish Kumar’s party was aligned with the anti-BJP bloc.
Sinha has held several ministerial roles and has served as both Speaker (2020-2022) and Leader of Opposition (2022-2024) in the Bihar Legislative Assembly.
Tejashwi Yadav Eyes Third Win from Raghopur
Tejashwi Yadav, the RJD’s chief ministerial candidate and son of party supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav, is contesting once again from Raghopur, a traditional Yadav family bastion he has won twice – in 2015 and 2020 – defeating BJP’s Satish Kumar on both occasions. Satish Kumar had earlier snatched the seat from Tejashwi’s mother Rabri Devi in 2010.
Tejashwi’s elder brother, who won Mahua in 2015 and Hasanpur in 2020, is contesting this election under his newly floated Janshakti Janata Dal, after being expelled from the RJD for alleged anti-party activities.
Begusarai: From ‘Leningrad of Bihar’ to BJP Stronghold
Begusarai, once dubbed the “Leningrad of Bihar” for its Left-wing dominance and strong trade union base, has seen significant political shifts since the Mandal era of the 1990s. The BJP now holds sway in the constituency, with sitting MLA Kundan Kumar seeking re-election against Congress candidate Amita Bhushan.
Other Key Contests
Other prominent candidates in this phase include JD(U) candidate Anant Singh, JD(U) state president Umesh Kushwaha and RJD’s Bhola Yadav, a close aide of Lalu Prasad. The ballot also features celebrity entrants such as Bhojpuri actor Khesari Lal Yadav (RJD) and folk singer Maithili Thakur (BJP).
(With IANS inputs)