Patna: The Grand Alliance in Bihar seems to be falling apart just as the state heads towards the 2025 Assembly elections. The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Congress, and Left parties have not been able to agree on how to share seats, even though the first phase of nominations has already ended. The dispute has turned serious, with the allies fielding their own candidates against each other in several constituencies. There are at least nine seats, including Vaishali and Lalganj, where the contest now appears to be between the Grand Alliance partners themselves.
The rift became clear when 125 candidates filed nominations for 121 seats in the first phase without any seat-sharing formula. RJD, the largest party in the alliance, filed nominations for 72 seats, while Congress went for 24, the Left parties for 21, the Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) for 6, and IIP for 2. The overlapping nominations show a lack of coordination and growing mistrust. RJD and Congress are in direct competition on two seats — Vaishali and Lalganj — while CPI and Congress are also contesting against each other in several constituencies like Bachhwara, Rosera, and Bihar Sharif.
In a surprising move, RJD has even fielded its own candidates on seats claimed by the Congress. One of the most talked-about examples is Kutumba, where Congress state president Rajesh Ram is contesting. RJD, ignoring the Congress’s claim, has nominated its leader Suresh Paswan for the same seat. In Vaishali, Congress’s Sanjeev Kumar and RJD’s Ajay Kushwaha have both entered the race, while in Lalganj, RJD’s Shivani Shukla is facing Congress’s Aditya Kumar Raja. The situation is similar in Rajapakar, where CPI’s Mohit Paswan and Congress’s Pratima Das are both contesting.
The confusion is not limited to these parties. VIP chief Mukesh Sahani’s disagreements with RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav have added to the alliance’s troubles. In Tarapur, RJD has given its ticket to Arun Shah, while VIP has nominated Sakaldev Bind, both claiming to represent the Grand Alliance. In Gaura Bauram, RJD fielded Afzal Ali while VIP nominated Mukesh Sahani’s brother, though RJD later withdrew its symbol from the seat. In Alam Nagar, the situation became even more confusing when Naveen Kumar filed nominations as a candidate for both RJD and VIP, leaving everyone guessing which party he will finally represent.
The growing number of internal contests and overlapping nominations have raised serious questions about the Grand Alliance’s stability. What was once presented as a strong coalition to challenge the ruling NDA now appears to be breaking apart. If RJD, Congress, and the Left parties fail to settle their differences quickly, the alliance could face a major setback in the upcoming elections. The lack of unity among them may end up benefiting the ruling coalition, as voters watch the opposition parties battle each other instead of their real rivals.
