Bihar Assembly Election: Congress fields 17 candidates without Mahagathbandhan seat-sharing deal, fields state president Rajesh Ram from Kutumba

The Congress party on Wednesday revealed the names of several candidates for the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, though it has not yet released the full official list. On its official Bihar X handle, the party shared photos of a few selected candidates receiving their nomination certificates. This announcement comes even as the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) partners have not yet finalised their seat-sharing deal.

According to the Bihar Congress unit, state president Rajesh Ram will contest from Kutumba. Other key candidates include Vijendra Chaudhary from Muzaffarpur, Om Prakash Garg from Gopalganj, Amita Bhushan from Begusarai, Dr. Shashi Shekhar Singh from Wazirganj, Kaushelendra Kumar from Nalanda, and Anand Shankar Singh from Aurangabad.

Additionally, Anil Kumar will contest from Bikram, Lalan Kumar from Sultanganj, Amaresh Kumar from Lakhisarai, B.K. Ravi from Rosda, Shashibhushan Rai alias Gappu Rai from Govindganj, Jitendra Singh from Amarpur, and Shiv Prakash Garib Das from Bachhwara. Trishuldhari Singh has been chosen for the Barbigha seat.

In a post on X, Rajesh Ram expressed his gratitude to the party leadership for trusting him. He said he would not be contesting the election alone but with the support of the “entire Kutumba family.” He added that together, they would work hard to help form a Mahagathbandhan government in Bihar.

According to unconfirmed reports, the Congress has agreed to contest 61 seats in the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, nine fewer than the 70 seats it fought in 2020, when it won 19. The RJD is expected to get the largest share of seats, though it may also contest fewer than last time, when it fielded 144 candidates and won 75.

The remaining seats in the 243-member Assembly are likely to be shared among the Left parties — CPI(ML) Liberation, CPI(M), and CPI — as well as former state minister Mukesh Sahani’s party.