Bihar assembly polls: Is Mahagathbandhan's 'friendly contest' helping NDA? INDIA bloc battles itself in 11 key seats
Patna: LoP in the Lok Sabha and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi with RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, CPI General Secretary D Raja, CPI (ML) Liberation General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya and others during a press conference amid 'Bihar bandh' called by the INDIA bloc against Special Intensive Revision in the state, in Patna, Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (PTI Photo)(PTI07_09_2025_000120A)
It might be a "friendly contest" for parties in the INDIA bloc, but the ruling National Democratic Alliance in Bihar hopes the "contest" will only help them emerge victorious in the upcoming Bihar assembly polls.
According to reports, the main allies of Mahagathbandhan in Bihar, Congress and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), have fielded candidates against each other in at least eight seats. Congress and Communist Party of India (CPI) will fight against each other in four seats, while RJD and Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) have fielded candidates in two seats.
Senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot, who is in Bihar to settle seat-sharing challenges, said "all is well" in the INDIA bloc in the poll-bound state. As per the schedule for Bihar assembly polls, October 23 is the last day for withdrawal of nominations for the second phase of elections.
Full list:
Vaishali: Ajay Kushwaha (RJD) vs Sanjeev Singh (Congress).
Sikandra: Uday Narayan Chaudhary (RJD) vs Vinod Chaudhary (Congress).
Kahalgaon: Rajnish Bharti (RJD) vs Praveen Kushwaha (Congress).
Sultanganj: Chandan Sinha (RJD) vs Lalan Yadav (Congress).
Narkatiaganj: Deepak Yadav (RJD) vs Shaswat Kedar Pandey (Congress).
Warsaliganj: Anita Devi Mahto (RJD) vs Satish Kumar (Congress).
Bachhwara: Awadhesh Kumar Rai (CPI) vs Shiv Prakash Garibdas (Congress).
Raja Pakar: Mohit Paswan (CPI) vs Pratima Das (Congress).
Bihar Sharif: Shiv Kumar Yadav (CPI) vs Umer Khan (Congress).
Kargahar: Mahendra Prasad Gupta (CPI) vs Santosh Mishra (Congress).
Tarapur: Arun Sah (RJD) vs Sakaldeo Bind (VIP).
Chainpur: Brij Kishore Bind (RJD) vs Balgovind Bind (VIP).
India