Patna: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday released its first list of candidates for the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, announcing names for 71 constituencies — around 70% of its total quota of 101 seats. The list reflects a calculated attempt to balance caste equations while prioritizing candidates with higher chances of victory.
According to the list, the largest representation comes from upper caste candidates (34) — including 15 Rajputs, 11 Bhumihars, 7 Brahmins, and 1 Kayastha. The party has also allocated 19 tickets to members of Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs) and 11 to Other Backward Classes (OBCs) — comprising 5 Kushwahas, 2 Kurmis, and 4 Yadavs.
The BJP has denied tickets to 10 sitting MLAs, while six of the eight seats it lost in the 2020 elections have been assigned to new faces. Only Mithilesh Tiwari (Baikunthpur) and Anil Singh (Hisua) have been re-nominated.
1. BJP Seeks to Regain Vaishya Support After Lok Sabha Setback
Party insiders said the BJP is attempting to rectify its 2024 Lok Sabha strategy, when it had replaced Vaishya community representatives with upper-caste candidates in Shivhar and Sitamarhi. The move reportedly caused discontent within its traditional vote bank.
To regain that trust, 15 Vaishya candidates have now been fielded — an effort to appeal to Bihar’s 36% EBC population, which remains crucial for the BJP’s poll arithmetic.
2. No Easy Route to Power: Big Leaders Must Contest and Win
Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary and senior leader Mangal Pandey — both previously MLCs — will now contest Assembly elections. Pandey will contest from Siwan, while Choudhary has been fielded from Tarapur.
The BJP has also nominated Ramkripal Yadav, former MP from Pataliputra, from Danapur, and Rama Nishad, wife of ex-MP Ajay Nishad, from Aurai. The message from the leadership is clear — electoral victory, not position, will determine future cabinet roles.
3. Tickets Denied to Underperforming and Disputed MLAs
The BJP has dropped several incumbents facing anti-incumbency or poor performance reports.
Among them are Mithilesh Kumar (Sitamarhi) and Motilal (Minister, Sitamarhi) — both faced resistance from local workers. Ramprimat Paswan (Rajnagar), Nikki Hembram (Katoria), and Pranav Kumar (Munger) were also denied tickets.
4. Caste Equation Rebalancing Across Key Seats
The BJP has made significant caste-based adjustments to strengthen its position across constituencies:
- In Aurai, Mallah community’s Archana Nishad replaces Ram Surat Yadav.
- Mangal Pandey replaces Om Prakash Yadav in Siwan.
- Veteran Nand Kishore Yadav, a seven-time MLA from Patna Sahib, makes way for Ratneshwar Kushwaha, signaling a generational and social shift.
5. Second Chance for Losing Candidates in Baikunthpur and Hisua
Despite previous defeats, the BJP has shown faith in Mithilesh Tiwari (Baikunthpur) and Anil Singh (Hisua), both of whom lost narrowly in 2020.
Tiwari had also contested from Buxar in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls but lost to RJD’s Sudhakar Singh.
6. Fresh Faces on Previously Lost Seats
The BJP has replaced most losing candidates from 2020 with new aspirants:
- Aurangabad: Trivikram Singh replaces Ramadhar Singh.
- Arwal: Manoj Sharma, current state media in-charge, replaces Deepak Sharma.
- Gurua: Upendra Dangi replaces Rajiv Nandan Dangi.
- Bikram: Siddharth Saurav, a former Congress MLA who recently joined BJP, replaces Atul Kumar.
- Danapur: Ramkripal Yadav replaces Asha Yadav.
- Siwan: Mangal Pandey replaces Om Prakash Yadav.
7. Amit Shah’s Clear Mandate: Win 80–90% of Contested Seats
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, during his two-day visit to Bihar on September 27, directed the party’s core committee to focus entirely on seat-by-seat victory management. According to party sources, Shah instructed state leaders to ensure BJP wins at least 80 to 90 percent of the seats it contests.
Key Takeaways from BJP’s First List
- 71 candidates announced; 34 from upper castes, 30 from backward and extremely backward communities.
- 10 sitting MLAs denied tickets, including those facing local anger.
- Vaishya community gets 15 tickets — a strategic correction from the Lok Sabha approach.
- Big names like Samrat Choudhary and Mangal Pandey to contest Assembly polls.
- New candidates fielded on most of the seats lost in 2020.
- Party aims for 80–90% strike rate under Amit Shah’s guidance.
