Patna: The Congress party officially released its second list of candidates for the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections on Saturday, adding five names to the 48 announced earlier in the week.
The five new candidates are:
- Shashwat Kedar Pandey from Narkatiaganj
- Mohammad Kamrul Hooda from Kishanganj
- Jitendra Yadav from Purnia
- Mohan Srivastava from Gaya Town
- Mohammad Irfan Alam from Kasba
बिहार विधानसभा चुनाव के लिए कांग्रेस उम्मीदवारों की लिस्ट। pic.twitter.com/QOJYmfbYgw
— Bihar Congress (@INCBihar) October 18, 2025
This announcement brings the total number of declared candidates by the Congress party to 53, with more lists expected as the nomination process progresses.
Balancing Continuity and Change
In its selection process, the party has prioritized continuity by reaffirming faith in its current crop of legislators. The first list saw the re-nomination of 11 sitting MLAs across constituencies including Bhagalpur, Kadwa, Manihari, Muzaffarpur, Rajapakar, Buxar, Rajpur, Kutumba, Kargahar, Hisua, and Aurangabad.
However, the party also signaled a readiness for change in strategic constituencies. The most notable replacement was the cancellation of the ticket for sitting MLA Chhatrapati Yadav from Khagaria. He has been replaced by Chandan Yadav, who previously contested from Beldaur in the last Assembly elections and was unsuccessful.
The party also confirmed that symbol distribution to candidates had commenced even before the formal release of the second list.
Social Calculus in Candidate Selection
The initial list of 48 candidates provides insight into the Congress party’s strategic caste and community-based selection, reflecting an attempt to strike a social balance across Bihar’s diverse electorate.
The composition of the first list includes:
- 10 candidates from OBC communities.
- 9 candidates from Dalit communities.
- 8 candidates from Bhumihar communities.
- 6 candidates from Brahmin communities.
- 5 candidates from Rajput communities.
- 4 candidates from Yadav communities.
- 4 candidates from Muslim communities.
- 1 candidate each from the Adivasi and EBC communities.
