Patna: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), known for its sustained verbal and political attacks on the opposition by invoking the issue of nepotism, faces scrutiny over its own candidate selection in the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections. An analysis of the party’s recently released list of 71 candidates shows that 11 of them have direct or immediate family connections to a political figure.
This means that approximately 15% of the total ticket candidates announced so far have family members who are or have been in public office, creating a perceived contradiction with the party’s anti-dynasty rhetoric.
The Prominent Dynasts on the List
The familial ties range from third-generation politicians and the sons of former Chief Ministers to the wives of sitting MLAs and MPs. The following candidates have been given tickets based on established political lineage:
| Candidate Name | Constituency | Familial Connection |
|---|---|---|
| Nitish Mishra | Jhanjharpur | Son of former Bihar Chief Minister Dr. Jagannath Mishra and nephew of former Union Minister Lalit Narayan Mishra. |
| Shreyasi Singh | Jamui | Daughter of former Union Minister Digvijay Singh and former MP Putul Kumari. |
| Sanjeev Chaurasia | Digha | Son of Ganga Prasad Chaurasia, a former BJP MLA and current Governor of Sikkim. |
| Nitin Naveen | Bankipur | Son of the late Naveen Kishore Prasad Sinha, who was a prominent MLA for the Patna West constituency. |
| Raghavendra Pratap Singh | Barhara | Son of Ambika Sharan Singh, a five-time MLA and former Deputy Finance Minister. |
| Rana Randhir | Madhuban | Son of Sitaram Singh, a former MLA, Bihar Minister, and MP. |
| Arun Kumar Singh | Baruraj | Son of Brij Kishore Singh (former MLA) and grandson of Yumna Singh (former MLA). |
| Devesh Kant Singh | Goriyakothi | Son of Bhumendra Narayan Singh (two-time MLA) and grandson of Krishnakant Singh (MLA). |
| Nisha Singh | Pranpur | Wife of Vinod Kumar Singh, former MLA and Minister. |
| Gayatri Devi | Parihar | Daughter-in-law of Ram Naresh Prasad Yadav, a former BJP MLA. |
| Sujit Kumar Singh | Gaura Bauram | Son of senior BJP leader and multiple-time MLA Sunil Kumar Singh, and husband of Swarna Singh, a current MLA. |
This practice highlights the challenge all major national parties face in balancing their internal organisational structure with the necessity of fielding candidates who have established local influence and political capital, often inherited through family. Despite the emphasis on new faces and grassroots work, established political families continue to dominate a significant proportion of the candidacies.
