Grand Alliance faces infighting on 8 seats as the first phase of nomination ends in Bihar.

Patna, October 18, 2025: The nomination process for the first phase of the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections concluded on Friday, but the Grand Alliance—comprising the RJD, Congress, CPI, CPI-ML and VIP—has failed to reach a consensus on seat-sharing, triggering internal discord and confusion among allies.

Even after the nomination deadline, the alliance has no formal seat-sharing announcement, and as a result, eight seats have seen direct contest among Grand Alliance partners.

Of these, the RJD and Congress are clashing on five seats, while Congress and Left parties face off on three, and RJD and VIP are competing on one seat.

The Congress has announced 48 candidates, and the CPI-ML has released 18 names, but internal disagreements have intensified.

The Grand Alliance leaders held a series of meetings with no result:

Despite days of hectic meetings and phone calls between Patna and Delhi, no final resolution was reached.

Party sources said Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge personally intervened to pacify disgruntled leaders, but to little effect.

As the nomination deadline loomed, several parties distributed symbols without releasing official lists, forcing candidates to file nominations in haste.

Grand Alliance constituent partners are contesting against each other:

VIP chief Mukesh Sahani stirred further speculation, declaring, “We don’t want to go to Rajya Sabha; we want to become Deputy Chief Minister. I won’t contest the assembly polls but will work hard to form a Grand Alliance government.”

Though Sahani was initially set to contest from Gaurabauram Assembly constituency in Darbhanga district, he withdrew and fielded his brother Santosh Sahani instead.

The VIP has also fielded Bhogendra Sahani (Aurai), Umesh Sahani (Darbhanga Urban), and Prem Shankar Yadav (Gopalpur).

Sources indicate the party has been offered 15 seats, along with Rajya Sabha and two MLC berths, which Sahani reportedly declined.

Meanwhile, the RJD began releasing its list on Friday.

The party fielded Shivani Shukla, daughter of Munna Shukla from Lalganj, while the Congress nominated Aditya Kumar Raja from the same seat-ensuring an intra-alliance clash there.

Other intercal contests include Ajay Kushwaha of RJD versus Sanjeev Kumar on the Vaishali seat, Arun Kumar Shah of RJD versus Sukhdev Bind of VIP on the Tarapur seat. Interestingly BJP has fielded Samrat Choudhary from the Tarapur seat of Munger.

In Bachwara of Begusarai district, CPI’s Awadesh Rai is contesting against Congress’s Garib Das.

On the Gaura Bauram seat in Darbhanga, RJD’s Afzal Ali is contesting against VIP’s Santosh Sahani. In Rajapakad, CPI’s Mohit Paswan is contesting against Pratima Das of Congress and on Rosera, Congress has fielded B.K. Ravi, who is contesting against Laxman Paswan.

The disarray has handed the NDA a strategic advantage, as instead of facing a united opposition, alliance partners within the Grand Alliance are competing against each other in multiple constituencies.

Also Read: CPI-ML demanded 40 seats in the Grand Alliance to contest the assembly polls.

EOM.