Bihar Elections: RJD’s 143-Seat Strategy Includes Women, MY Base, and Rebels
RJD Announces 143 Candidates for Bihar Polls, Highest Number of Women in Fray: In a high-stakes political move ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) on Monday unveiled its list of 143 candidates, the highest number fielded by any party this season. The announcement, made just hours before the final phase of nomination filings, has stirred the INDIA bloc as at least four candidates will directly contest against alliance partners, including the Congress and Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP). However, speculation around the contentious Kutumba seat, held by Bihar Congress chief Rajesh Kumar Ram, was put to rest, with RJD choosing not to field a candidate there.
Among the seats seeing alliance clashes are Vaishali, Lalganj, and Kahalgaon, where RJD will go head-to-head with Congress nominees. In Tarapur, it will contest against Mukesh Sahni’s VIP. An internal rift is also brewing over Gaura Bauram, where Afzal Ali, initially given the RJD symbol, has filed his nomination independently and hasn’t withdrawn it. Party insiders fear this could confuse voters, even as grassroots workers may shift their support to VIP’s Sahni.
The candidate list reflects a mix of loyalty, legacy, and social arithmetic. Tejashwi Yadav (Raghopur), Alok Mehta (Ujiarpur), Mukesh Roshan (Mahua), and Akhtarul Islam Shaheen (Samastipur) will defend their seats, while Bhola Yadav attempts a comeback in Bahadurpur. The list includes 21 women, the most among all parties, and gives representation to OBC, upper castes, and the party’s traditional Muslim-Yadav (MY) base. Families of strongmen continue to dominate, with tickets going to Veena Devi (Mokama) and Osama Shahab (Raghunathpur). The inclusion of London-educated lawyer Shivani Shukla (Lalganj) also hints at RJD’s effort to broaden its image ahead of the polls.
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