JD(U) Releases First Candidate List: 57 Names Finalized for Bihar Elections

The Janata Dal (United), led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, has announced its first list of 57 candidates for the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections scheduled for November 2025. The list, released on Wednesday, October 15, 2025, features a strategic mix of sitting ministers, political strongmen, new faces, and women candidates as the ruling NDA prepares for the high-stakes electoral battle.​

Complete List of All 57 JD(U) Candidates

Here is the comprehensive list of all 57 candidates announced by JD(U) with their respective constituencies:

​Five Cabinet Ministers Retain Seats

The list includes five serving ministers from the current Nitish Kumar government, demonstrating the party’s strategy to leverage incumbency advantage:​

Shri Shravan Kumar – Rural Development Minister contesting from Nalanda constituency. Kumar is considered one of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s closest aides and holds significant influence within the party.​

Shri Vijay Kumar Chaudhary – Water Resources Minister fielded from Sarairanjan. He has been given a prominent position in JD(U)’s electoral strategy.​

Shri Maheshwar Hazari – Information and Public Relations Minister contesting from Kalyanpur (SC) constituency.​

Shri Madan Sahni – Social Welfare Minister nominated from Bahadurpur.​

Shri Ratnesh Sada – Prohibition Minister contesting from Sonbarsa (SC) constituency. Notably, this seat was also claimed by Chirag Paswan’s LJP, making it a contentious choice.​

Former Ministers and Senior Leaders

The list features several former ministers and veteran party leaders who have been given important constituencies:​

• Shri Harinarayan Singh from Harnaut (former minister)

• Shri Shyam Rajak from Phulwari (SC) (former minister)

• Shri Narendra Narayan Yadav from Alamnagar (former minister)

• Shri Santosh Kumar Nirala from Rajpur (SC) – notably announced unilaterally by Nitish Kumar in September​

Controversial “Bahubali” Candidates

The list includes three political strongmen, often referred to as “bahubalis,” who bring significant electoral muscle but also controversy:​

Shri Anant Singh from Mokama – Perhaps the most controversial inclusion, the 34-year-old don-turned-politician known as “Chhote Sarkar” has won Mokama five times previously. He was disqualified in 2022 after conviction for illegal weapons possession, but was acquitted by the Patna High Court in August 2024. His wife Nilam Devi won the 2022 bypoll on an RJD ticket but later switched to JD(U).​

The other two strongmen candidates have also been included to leverage their local influence and voter appeal.​

Women Representation

JD(U) has fielded four women candidates in its first list, demonstrating attention to gender representation:​

1. Smt. Kavita Saha from Madhepura

2. Smt. Komal Singh from Gaighat

3. Smt. Ashwamedh Devi from Samastipur

4. Smt. Raveena Kushwaha from Bibhutipur

Social Engineering and Caste Balance

The candidate list reflects JD(U)’s careful attention to social engineering and caste arithmetic:

• Ten Scheduled Caste (SC) reserved constituencies have been allocated candidates, including Singheshwar, Sonbarsa, Kusheshwar Asthan, Sakra, Bhore, Rajapakar, Kalyanpur, Alauli, Rajgir, Phulwari, Masaurhi, and Rajpur.​

• Significant representation has been given to Extremely Backward Classes (EBC) and Other Backward Classes (OBC) communities, reflecting Nitish Kumar’s long-standing political strategy of building a rainbow coalition across caste lines.​

• Notably, the first list does not include any Muslim candidate, though party leaders have indicated that the second list will address this gap in representation.​

New Faces vs. Incumbents

Of the 57 candidates announced, 27 are new faces while 19 are previous election winners who have been retained. Additionally, 11 candidates who lost in the 2020 elections have been given another opportunity.​

Notable new entrants include:

• Shri Rahul Singh from Dumraon

• Shri Atirek Kumar from Kusheshwar Asthan (replacing Aman Bhushan Hazari, whose ticket was cancelled)​

Disputed Seats with Chirag Paswan’s LJP

The candidate list has intensified internal NDA tensions, particularly with Union Minister Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas). Despite the formal seat-sharing agreement allocating 29 seats to LJP(RV), JD(U) has fielded candidates on at least five constituencies that were claimed by Paswan’s party:​

1. Sonbarsa (SC) – Shri Ratnesh Sada (sitting JD(U) minister and MLA)

2. Rajgir (SC) – Shri Kaushal Kishore

3. Gaighat – Smt. Komal Singh

4. Ekma – Shri Dhumal Singh

5. Morwa – Shri Vidyasagar Singh Nishad

In the 2020 elections, JD(U) won Sonbarsa and Rajgir, while RJD captured Gaighat, Ekma, and Morwa—constituencies where LJP finished third in all cases. JD(U) sources defended the move as necessary to protect the party’s “core voter base” and ensure “organizational integrity”.​

Special Mentions

Shri Rajkumar Singh from Matihani – This represents a strategic gain for JD(U), as Singh originally won the seat on an LJP(RV) ticket in 2020 but later switched to Nitish Kumar’s party.​

Shri Umesh Singh Kushwaha – JD(U) state president fielded from Mahnar constituency, demonstrating the party’s confidence in his organizational abilities.​

Electoral Timeline and Campaign Launch

The Bihar Assembly elections will be held in two phases on November 6 and 11, 2025, with counting scheduled for November 14. JD(U) working president Sanjay Kumar Jha announced that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will launch the party’s campaign on Thursday, October 16, from Samastipur and Darbhanga districts.​

Jha also confirmed that JD(U)’s second list of candidates will be released within the next couple of days to complete the party’s roster for all 101 allocated seats under the NDA seat-sharing arrangement.​

NDA Seat-Sharing Context

The candidate announcement comes within the framework of the NDA’s seat-sharing formula finalized on October 13, 2025. Under this agreement, BJP and JD(U) will contest 101 seats each—the first time both parties have received equal allocation since their alliance began.​

Chirag Paswan’s LJP (Ram Vilas) has been allocated 29 seats, while Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) and Upendra Kushwaha’s Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) will each contest six seats in the 243-member Bihar Assembly.​

This candidate list represents JD(U)’s opening salvo in what promises to be a fiercely contested electoral battle, with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar seeking to lead the NDA to victory for what would be his fifth term as Bihar’s Chief Minister