Patna: In a rare political twist, Navin Kumar Nishad, a candidate from Bihar’s Alamnagar constituency, ended up filing nomination papers from both the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) — two allies within the ruling Mahagathbandhan.
The confusion arose after last-minute seat-sharing negotiations within the alliance shifted the Alamnagar seat from RJD’s quota to VIP’s share. Initially, RJD had announced engineer Navin Nishad as its candidate, but the party later withdrew its symbol. Subsequently, VIP declared him as its official candidate for the same seat.
“I followed the party’s instructions. Whatever the leadership decided, I complied with. That is why I had to file two nominations,” Nishad told reporters, adding that he would continue to follow party orders going forward.
VIP’s district president Brahmadev Sahni confirmed the development, noting that voter sentiment in Alamnagar often depends more on local issues and candidates’ reputations than party lines.
The Alamnagar constituency, located in Madhepura district, is politically and socially significant. It falls under the Madhepura Lok Sabha constituency and borders multiple key districts including Saharsa, Khagaria, Bhagalpur, and Purnia.
Veteran leader Narendra Narayan Yadav of the Janata Dal (United), who has represented Alamnagar seven times since 1995, remains a dominant political figure in the region. The JDU has once again fielded him from the seat, setting up a high-stakes contest.
