Patna: The final day of nominations for the first phase of the Bihar Assembly elections is witnessing a flurry of political activity, with over 50 candidates, including several prominent faces from politics and entertainment, set to file their papers on Friday.
Among the key figures in the spotlight is folk singer Maithili Thakur, who recently joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and will contest from Alinagar. Bhojpuri actor Khesari Lal Yadav, fielded by the BJP from Chhapra, will also submit his nomination today. Chetan Anand, son of former MP Anand Mohan, will file his nomination from Navinagar on a Janata Dal (United) ticket.
Other notable candidates include Satish Kumar Yadav, who will take on RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav in Raghopur, and Bhola Yadav, a close aide of Lalu Prasad. The Congress has also lined up prominent names such as Rajesh Ram (Kutumba) and Shakeel Ahmed Khan (Kadwa).
Meanwhile, uncertainty remains around Mukesh Sahani and his Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) over seat-sharing arrangements, with party insiders suggesting last-minute negotiations are still underway.
Senior BJP leaders to attend nominations
To project strength and unity, several senior BJP leaders and Union ministers will attend nomination events across the state. Those expected to be present include Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, and Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, alongside MPs Annapurna Devi, Ravi Kishan, and Manoj Tiwari.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah is scheduled to address a public rally in support of BJP candidate Janak Singh at the Manjhopur Sports Ground in Taraiya block of Saran district later today.
Biryani chaos follows AIMIM candidate’s nomination
In a lighter, yet chaotic, turn of events, AIMIM candidate Tausif Alam’s nomination in Bahadurganj, Kishanganj, became the talk of the town after a crowd gathered at a Fatiha ceremony at his residence led to a “biryani loot”. Thousands turned up for the event, which Alam later clarified was a religious occasion.
“It was a Fatiha ceremony, and biryani was being distributed as prasad. But the turnout was far larger than expected,” Alam said.
List of candidates filing nominations today
BJP: Kundan Kumar (Begusarai), Arun Singh (Barauni), Raju Singh (Sahibganj), Ranjan Kumar (Muzaffarpur), Rohit Pandey (Bhagalpur), Vijay Khemka (Purnia Sadar), Vinod Yadav (Baisi), Jivesh Mishra (Jale), Sujit Kumar Singh (Gauda Bauram), Prem Kumar (Gaya), Deepa Manjhi (Imamganj), Kumar Sarvjeet (Bodhgaya), Raghavendra Pratap Singh (Barhara), Sanjay Tiger (Ara), Vishal Prashant (Tarari), Mahesh Paswan (Agiaon), among others.
JD(U): Chetan Anand (Navinagar), Jitendra Kumar (Athena), Ajit Kumar (Kanti), Raveena Kushwaha (Vibhutipur), Laisi Singh (Dhamdaha), Kaladhar Mandal (Rupauli), Rohit Kumar (Atri), Manosi Devi (Belagnj), Shri Bhagwan Singh (Jagdishpur).
Congress: Anand Shankar Singh (Aurangabad), Praveen Singh Kushwaha (Kanhalganj).
AIMIM: Asadtal Iman (Amour), Ghulam Sarwar (Baisi).
Jan Suraaj: Ramdev Kunwar (Bakhtiyarpur), Sudarshan Mishra (Kanti), Krishna Kumar Rishi (Banmankhi), Shanti Devi (Tikari).
Independents: Preeti Shekhar (Bhagalpur), Ashok Singh (Sahibganj), Shankar Singh (Rupauli), Saroj Yadav (Barhara), Rajendra Yadav (Kasba), Vishwanath (Belagnj).
As the first phase of the election approaches, Bihar’s political stage is abuzz with celebrity entrants, seasoned politicians, and last-minute alliances — setting the tone for what promises to be a closely watched contest.
