The Opposition alliance in Bihar, known as Mahagathbandhan, could not settle seat-sharing differences completely, leading to 11 constituencies where allies are contesting against each other. These so-called friendly fights involve the Congress party in nine seats, the Rashtriya Janata Dal in seven, the Communist Party of India in four, and the Vikassheel Insaan Party in two. The Congress clashes with the RJD in five seats and with the CPI in four, while the RJD and VIP face off in two constituencies. Of these disputed seats, seven are currently with the ruling National Democratic Alliance, one is held by a defector who joined the Janata Dal (United), and the remaining belong to Opposition parties. Given that the 2020 election was decided by a narrow margin of just 0.03 percent vote share and 15 seats, these internal battles could prove decisive in determining which coalition wins power. Last-minute withdrawals reduced the number of clashes, with Congress stepping back from three seats and VIP from one. In two other cases, nomination rejections simplified the contest, leaving just one Mahagathbandhan candidate in the race.
Congress and RJD Contest in Five Key Seats
The Congress and RJD are directly opposing each other in Vaishali, where the Janata Dal (United) currently holds the seat. Both parties have repeated their 2020 candidates, but the RJD fielded a new nominee who had previously won 17 percent votes as a Lok Janshakti Party candidate. In Kahalgaon, the Congress is attempting to reclaim a former stronghold once represented by veteran leader Sadanand Singh nine times between 1969 and 2015. The party has nominated a new candidate while the RJD fielded someone whose father serves as a minister in Jharkhand. In Narkatiaganj, the Congress replaced the sitting legislator with a new face, while the party nominated the grandson of a former Bihar Chief Minister. Both Sikandra and Sultanganj also see direct contests, with ruling party incumbents defending their seats.
CPI and Congress Face Off in Four Constituencies
In Bachhwara, the Communist Party of India lost by just 484 votes in the previous election to the Bharatiya Janata Party. The Congress has now fielded the state Youth Congress president, who had contested as an Independent in 2020 and finished third. In Biharsharif, the Congress nominated one of its 10 Muslim candidates, while the CPI chose a different nominee to challenge the sitting BJP legislator. The Congress holds Rajapakar, having won it by 1,796 votes last time, and has repeated its sitting member while the CPI entered a new candidate. Similarly, in Kargahar, the Congress retained its incumbent who won by 4,083 votes in 2020, but now faces a CPI nominee alongside the Janata Dal (United) candidate seeking to regain the seat.
RJD and VIP Clash in Two Seats Amid Damage Control
The Vikassheel Insaan Party won Gaura Bauram in 2020 by 7,280 votes when it was part of the ruling alliance. The party has now fielded its president, the younger brother of its founder, while the RJD repeated its previous candidate. In Chainpur, won by a Bahujan Samaj Party legislator who later joined the Janata Dal (United), the RJD nominated a former member who had finished second in 2020 on a BJP ticket before switching parties in September. Party spokespersons attempted damage control, claiming these friendly fights would not hurt the Opposition's chances. One VIP leader claimed RJD candidates would announce support for his party during joint campaigns, while an RJD spokesperson insisted people would vote for the alliance across all 243 seats. However, a senior Congress leader privately acknowledged these contests would be quite unfriendly.
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