Bihar Elections 2025: Congress names 7 more candidates, ups tally to 61 amid Mahagathbandhan seat-sharing rift

Bihar Elections 2025: The Congress named seven more candidates on Monday for the Bihar Assembly elections, taking the party’s total count of announced representatives to 61.

The Congress unveiled a list of six candidates in the early hours of the morning. The move comes despite the formal seat-sharing agreement within the Mahagathbandhan still eluding its two main partners, the RJD and the Congress, who remain unable to finalise a deal.

The six candidates nominated were Surendra Prasad Kushwaha (Valmiki Nagar), Abidur Rehman (Araria), Jalil Mastan (Amour), Tauquir Alam (Barari), Praveen Singh Kushwaha (Kahalgaon), and Vinod Chaudhary (Sikandra, SC).

The party later confirmed Minnat Rahmani as its candidate for the Supaul Assembly constituency.

According to news agency PTI, citing sources, with the completion of these announcements, the party will now contest 61 seats in total, a notable drop from the 70 seats it fought in the last election.

The widening cracks within the INDIA bloc became apparent on Sunday across poll-bound Bihar. Throughout the day, disgruntled aspirants from both the RJD and the Congress publicly levelled accusations that their respective party leaderships were effectively selling nominations.

Monday is the deadline for submitting nomination papers for the second and final phase of voting. Meanwhile, the Congress and the RJD have continued the process of issuing their respective party symbols to candidates.

On Thursday, the Congress had issued its initial list of 48 candidates for the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, selecting state unit chief Rajesh Ram for the Kutumba seat and CLP leader Shakeel Ahmad Khan for Kadwa. This was followed by a single, separate announcement for Rishi Mishra in Jale on Friday, before a list of five more candidates was published on Saturday.

Bihar Congress chief Rajesh Ram files nomination from Kutumba

Meanwhile, the Bihar Congress chief, Rajesh Ram, formally submitted his nomination papers on Monday as the candidate for the Congress-backed Mahagathbandhan. Seeking a third term, he will contest the Kutumba Assembly constituency, making him the official joint candidate for the alliance.

In a social media post on X, the Bihar Congress chief said: "Today, with the immense love, support, and blessings of the people of Kutumba Assembly constituency, I filed my nomination papers as a candidate of the Congress-supported Mahagathbandhan. Together, you and I have laid a strong foundation for development. With your cooperation, I will take this region to new heights of progress."

Prior to filing his nomination, the Bihar Congress chief staged a major rally. He subsequently stated that the Kutumba election result would ultimately "show the way for Bihar".

"The unprecedented crowd that gathered during the nomination journey is proof that Kutumba is now ready to forge its own strength. Today's historic journey clearly signals that Kutumba is set to create new history and is eager to play a decisive role in forming the Mahagathbandhan government in Bihar," Rajesh Ram posted.