Bihar Assembly Election 2025: NDA Finalizes Candidates as Muslim Representation Debate Heats Up
As excitement builds for the two-phase Bihar Assembly Election scheduled for November 6 and 11, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has finalized its strategy and declared candidates for all 243 constituencies. Under the seat-sharing agreement, BJP and JDU will contest 101 seats each, LJP (Ram Vilas) 29, and the Rashtriya Lok Morcha and Hindustani Awam Morcha 6 seats each.
Nitish Kumar’s JDU Fields Only Four Muslim Candidates
After releasing all 101 candidate names, JDU and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar face pointed questions for nominating only four Muslim candidates, despite the significant presence of Muslim voters across 50–70 Bihar seats—a group traditionally considered a JDU vote bank. Nitish’s list includes:
This marks a sharp decline from previous years: JDU fielded 11 Muslim candidates in 2020 (none won), 7 in 2015, 9 in 2005, and a record 17 in 2010 (with the NDA). The reduced presence has become a heated political talking point, especially as the RJD and new regional outfits eye a bigger share of the minority vote.
Shifts in Political Strategy and Minority Representation
Analysts point to the 2020 result, where no JDU Muslim candidate won, and a 2024 Lok Sabha rout for Kishanganj’s Mujahid Alam, as possible reasons for this year’s conservative approach. The culmination of Waqf law support, Muslim leaders leaving JDU, and boycotts of Nitish’s iftar have reportedly pushed Muslim voters closer to the opposition, prompting JDU to focus elsewhere for electoral gains.
Meanwhile, new players like Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party and Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM are aggressively courting Muslim voters, with JSP fielding more than 20 Muslim candidates and AIMIM ramping up its Seemanchal campaign, adding further complexity to the electoral landscape.
NDA’s Full Candidate List
With the NDA’s lists firmed up, major BJP candidates include Renu Devi (Bettiah), Tarkishore Prasad (Katihar), Ramkripal Yadav (Danapur), and Shreyasi Singh (Jamui), while Chirag Paswan’s LJP and the smaller allies have also named their representatives.
Outlook for the 2025 Election
With filing deadlines closing and campaigning intensifying around representation, social justice, and minority outreach, the Bihar elections are set to be closely contested. All eyes are now on whether the NDA’s social calculus and opposition unity can break years of electoral deadlock in the state.