Patna: Campaigning for the second phase of Bihar’s assembly elections concluded on Sunday, with voters set to cast their ballots on Tuesday. This phase is particularly significant as it will determine the fate of 12 current ministers, along with several former ministers, party leaders, and members of prominent political families.
Among the ministers whose seats are at stake are Energy, Planning and Development Minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav (Supaul), Industry Minister Nitish Mishra (Jhanjharpur), Transport Minister Sheela Mandal (Phulparas), PHED Minister Neeraj Kumar Singh Bablu (Chhatapur), and Sugarcane Industry Minister Krishnanandan Paswan (Harsiddhi SC). Other ministers contesting include Disaster Management Minister Vijay Kumar Mandal (Sikti), Food and Consumer Protection Minister Leshi Singh (Dhamdaha), Building Construction Minister Jayant Raj (Amarpur), Cooperative Minister Dr Prem Kumar (Gaya Town), Science, Technology and Technical Education Minister Sumit Kumar Singh (Chakai), Minority Welfare Minister Jama Khan (Chainpur), and Animal Husbandry Minister Renu Devi (Bettiah).
The elections also feature former Deputy Chief Minister Tarkishore Prasad contesting from Katihar, and former Assembly Speaker Uday Narayan Choudhary from Sikandra. Several former ministers, including Vinay Bihari (Lauriya), Narayan Prasad (Nautan), Shamim Ahmed (Narkatia), Rana Randhir Singh (Madhuban), Pramod Kumar (Motihari), Sunil Kumar Pintu (Sitamarhi), and Vinod Narayan Jha (Benipatti), are in the fray, alongside Congress Legislature Party leader Shakeel Ahmed Khan (Kadwa) and CPI (ML) leader Mehboob Alam (Balrampur).
Prominent political families are also being tested in this phase. The Manjhi family is contesting several seats, with Deepa Kumari (Imamganj), Jyoti Devi (Barachatti), and Tanushree Manjhi (Barachatti) among the candidates. Other notable contenders include Smita Gupta (Parihar), daughter-in-law of former RJD state president Dr Ramchandra Purve; Sneh Lata Kushwaha (Sasaram), wife of RLSP supremo Upendra Kushwaha; and Shreyasi Singh (Jamui), a renowned shooter.
Candidates from political dynasties and former parliamentarians’ families also include Chetan Anand (Navinagar), Chanakya Prakash Ranjan (Belhar), Trivikram Singh (Aurangabad), Vishwanath Kumar Singh (Belaganj), Romit Kumar (Atari), Ajit Kumar (Ramgarh), and former MP Mahabali Singh (Karakat).
With 122 seats spread over 20 districts, the second phase of voting in Bihar is shaping up to be a key indicator of the state’s political landscape, testing both seasoned politicians and new entrants connected to Bihar’s influential political families.
