The first list of JDU has no Muslim candidates for the Bihar polls 2025.

Patna, October 15, 2025: The Janata Dal United (JDU), led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, has released its first list of 57 candidates for the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections, but notably, not a single Muslim candidate has been included.

All NDA allies have begun announcing their candidates.

The BJP released its first list of 71 candidates on Tuesday, which also did not feature any Muslim nominee.

Now the JDU appears to have followed suit, sparking speculation that the ruling alliance may be losing confidence in its traditional Muslim vote base. However, JDU’s insider suggests that Muslim candidates might find a place in the upcoming lists.

JDU fielded 11 Muslim candidates in 2020:

In the 2020 Assembly elections, the JDU had fielded 11 Muslim candidates out of 115, but none managed to win.

During the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the JDU had given a ticket to Muzahiod Alam from Kishanganj, but he lost to Mohammad Jaweid of Congress.

The issue has revived an ongoing political debate, especially in light of earlier remarks made by senior JDU leaders.

After the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh stated in Muzaffarpur that “Minority communities did not vote for Nitish Kumar, yet the Chief Minister continues to work for them.”

Similarly, Sitamarhi MP Devesh Chandra Thakur said he would no longer work for Yadav and Muslims because they did not support him.”

These statements have already raised questions about Nitish Kumar’s changing political stance.

Nitish Kumar’s absence from the Waqf Board meeting:

His absence from a Waqf Board meeting further fueled speculation about a growing distance from the Muslim community.

However, in recent months, Nitish Kumar has tried to bridge this gap by attending several Muslim community events ahead of the elections.

Also Read: BJP denies tickets to several senior leaders in the first Bihar assembly candidate list.

EOM.