Friendly Fire in Bihar: Grand Alliance Faces Intra-Alliance Battles in Six Seats During Final Phase
As Bihar heads to the polls on Tuesday, “friendly contests” will unfold in six constituencies — including Kahalgaon, Sultanganj, and Narkatiaganj — where Congress, RJD, VIP, and CPI candidates from the ruling Mahagathbandhan are pitted against each other despite being allies.
The second and final phase of the Bihar Assembly elections scheduled for Tuesday will witness a unique situation on six constituencies where candidates of the ruling Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) will lock horns against each other in what is being described as a “friendly contest.”
These constituencies are Kahalgaon, Sultanganj, Chainpur, Sikandra (Reserved), Karhgar, and Narkatiaganj. On all six seats, different constituents of the GA have fielded their own candidates, resulting in intra-alliance battles.
The Grand Alliance in Bihar this time comprises the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Congress, Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP), Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation [CPI(ML)], Communist Party of India (CPI), Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)], and Indian Inclusive Party (IIP).
As per the seat-sharing arrangement, RJD is contesting 71 seats, Congress 36, VIP 8, CPI(ML) 6, CPI 4, and CPI(M) 1 seat.
Among the six constituencies witnessing “friendly fights,” RJD and Congress are pitted against each other in Kahalgaon, Sultanganj, Sikandra (SC), and Narkatiaganj; RJD and VIP face off in Chainpur while in Karhgar, Congress and CPI are contesting head-to-head.
In Kahalgaon, Congress candidate Praveen Singh Kushwaha faces RJD’s Rajneesh Bharti. The JD(U) has fielded Shubhanand Mukesh, son of veteran Congress leader Sadanand Singh, while BJP leader Pawan Kumar Yadav is contesting as an Independent. A total of 13 candidates are in the fray here.
In Sultanganj, known for the famous Baba Baidyanath Shravani Mela, Congress candidate Lalan Kumar faces a stiff contest from RJD’s Chandan Sinha. JD(U) has fielded sitting MLA Lalit Narayan Mandal, and 14 candidates are contesting in total.
In Sikandra (Reserved), RJD’s former Assembly Speaker Uday Narayan Choudhary faces Congress nominee Vinod Choudhary. Former MLA Prafulla Kumar Manjhi of Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) and Jan Suraaj’s Subhash Chandra Bose are also in the fray. Ten candidates are contesting from this seat.
In Narkatiaganj, Congress candidate Shashwat Kedar, grandson of former Chief Minister Kedar Pandey, faces RJD’s Deepak Yadav. BJP, after denying a ticket to sitting MLA Rashmi Verma, has fielded Sanjay Kumar Pandey. Twelve candidates are contesting from Narkatiaganj.
In Chainpur, RJD’s former minister Brijkishore Bind faces VIP’s Bal Govind Bind. JD(U) has fielded Minority Welfare Minister Jama Khan, while Jan Suraaj has nominated Hemant Chaubey, son of late BJP MP Lalmuni Chaubey. A record 22 candidates are in the fray here.
In Karhgar, Congress MLA Santosh Kumar Mishra, son of former minister Girish Narayan Mishra, is contesting against CPI’s Mahendra Prasad Gupta. BSP has fielded Uday Pratap Singh, son of former minister Ramdhani Singh, while popular Bhojpuri singer-actor Ritesh Pandey is contesting from Jan Suraaj.
A total of 12 candidates are contesting from Karhgar. All eyes are now on November 11, when voters will decide who emerges victorious in these intriguing intra-alliance battles.