New Delhi, Oct 8: In a strategic move ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections, the Congress party has finalised the names of 25 candidates for constituencies considered its traditional strongholds. The decision came during a high-level meeting of the party’s Central Election Committee (CEC) held at Indira Bhawan, Delhi, on Wednesday.
The meeting, attended by senior leaders including K.C. Venugopal, Ajay Maken, and others in person, saw Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and Mallikarjun Kharge participate virtually. Discussions focused on candidate selection while ongoing seat-sharing negotiations with Mahagathbandhan allies primarily the RJD and Left parties continue.
According to Bihar Congress chief Rajesh Ram, the 25 seats finalised are historically held by the party and already cleared by coalition partners. “We emphasised that these constituencies should remain with us, and candidate names were finalised after thorough deliberations,” he stated.
The official announcement of the candidates will follow further consultations with alliance partners and state leaders. The Congress is expected to contest 55 to 60 seats out of the total 243 in Bihar as part of the Mahagathbandhan alliance. Leaders expressed optimism about reaching a smooth resolution on remaining seat sharing details.
“There is no infighting among alliance partners. We will jointly announce the final list after mutual agreement,” Rajesh Ram added. Congress Legislative Party leader Shakeel Ahmed noted that candidates were approved for constituencies considered party bastions, while MP Mohammed Jawaid confirmed senior leaders’ active involvement in the process.
The Bihar Assembly elections are scheduled to be held in two phases on November 6 and 11, with vote counting on November 14. The Mahagathbandhan, led by the RJD, aims to challenge the incumbent NDA government, making the elections a critical test for opposition unity.
On the CEC meeting, Khan stated, “Our discussions have been completed. Now, only the discussions with the alliance partners are left, and those will also be completed soon.”