Patna, Nov 3 (UNI) The Grand Alliance (GA) is set to witness “friendly contests” at five constituencies in the first phase of the Bihar Assembly elections, scheduled for November 6.
The first phase will cover 121 assembly segments, but the spotlight will remain on Vaishali, Rajapakar (SC), Biharsharif, Bachhwara, and Beldaur, where alliance partners are set to compete against each other, turning allies into rivals within the same political alliance.
As per the seat-sharing arrangement within GA, the RJD is contesting 71 seats, Congress 24, CPI(ML) 14, CPI five, while CPI(M) and IIP are fielding candidates in three constituencies each. However, despite the alliance pact, five constituencies have seen overlapping claims, leading to direct competition among GA partners, which may potentially split their traditional voter base.
These five “friendly battles” have exposed the internal fault lines of the Grand Alliance, where multiple candidates from allied parties are competing against each other, potentially dividing the opposition’s support base.
Meanwhile, leaders of the GA have publicly maintained that such overlaps are “local issues”.
In Vaishali, the contest has turned triangular between RJD’s Ajay Kushwaha, Congress’s Sanjeev Singh, and JDU’s sitting MLA Siddharth Patel. The presence of both Congress and RJD candidates has created unease within the alliance. Adding another layer to the contest, independent candidate and veteran leader Vrishan Patel, a six-time MLA and former minister, is also eying victory once again. In the 2015 elections, JDU’s Rajkishore Singh defeated Vrishan Patel by 31,061 votes. This time, 13 candidates are in the fray.
The Rajapaksa (SC) seat is another example of intra-alliance rivalry. Congress has renominated sitting MLA Pratima Kumari Das, a relative of former Chief Minister Ram Sundar Das, while the CPI has fielded Mohit Paswan, potentially eating into the Congress vote bank.
JDU’s Mahendra Ram is contesting again, hoping to avenge his 2020 defeat to Pratima Das. LJP’s Dhananjay Kumar, who had contested last time, had finished third.
With 14 candidates in the field, the Congress-CPI clash here could work to the advantage of the NDA.
The Biharsharif constituency in Nalanda district will witness a fight between Congress's Umeid Khan and CPI’s Shiv Kumar Yadav. The right here in the triangle among BJP’s sitting MLA and minister Dr. Sunil Kumar, and the candidates of Congress and CPI. Sunil Kumar, who has been undefeated since 2005, seeks a record sixth victory. In 2020, he defeated RJD’s Sunil Kumar, while Afreen Sultana, wife of former MLA Naushadun Navi alias Pappu Khan, finished third.
With ten candidates contesting this time, the presence of both Congress and CPI is expected to divide opposition votes, possibly helping the BJP retain the seat.
In Bachhwara, Sports Minister and BJP MLA Surendra Mehta is once again facing a tough multi-cornered contest. The CPI has fielded its former MLA Awadhesh Rai, while Congress has nominated Shiv Prakash Garib Das, the state Youth Congress president.
Both are key GA contenders, effectively fighting each other and the BJP simultaneously.
In the 2020 elections, Mehta narrowly defeated Rai by just 484 votes, one of the closest margins in the state. This year, eight candidates are in the fray, and the contest is expected to be equally fierce.
The Beldaur seat in Khagaria district is also witnessing a friendly fight between Congress and IIP, another GA ally.
Here, JDU’s sitting MLA Panna Singh Patel is seeking re-election, facing a challenge from Congress’s Mithilesh Kumar Nishad and IIP’s Tanisha Bharti, who is expected to draw votes from similar social groups as the Congress candidate.
In 2020, Patel defeated Congress’s Chandan Kumar, while LJP’s Mithilesh Nishad finished third.
This time, 14 candidates are in the race, making Beldaur a constituency to watch.
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