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Friendly fights to angry cadre: What ails Congress in Bihar
The Opposition Grand Alliance in Bihar has been riven by public infighting over choice of candidates and seats, and is still facing “friendly fights” in10 seats
The Congress’s prospects in the upcoming Bihar assembly elections appear to be weakened by “friendly contests” against its own allies, last-minute withdrawal of candidates from traditional strongholds, and growing discontent over the decision to field several BJP turncoats.
“Our campaign is not in good shape. The momentum we gained from (Leader of the Opposition) Rahul Gandhi’s Voter Adhikar Yatra has slowed down. The selection of candidates is an area of concern,” said a senior leader of the Bihar unit of the Congress, asking not to be named.
The Opposition Grand Alliance in Bihar, which is hoping to dislodge chief minister Nitish Kumar from power after four consecutive terms, has been riven by public infighting over choice of candidates and seats, and is still facing “friendly fights” in10 seats. After week of deliberations, the alliance finally announced Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav as its chief ministerial candidate and Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) chief Mukesh Sahani as its deputy chief ministerial face on Thursday -- the last day to withdraw nominations for the final phase of Bihar elections when 122 seats go to the polls on November 11. The deadline to withdraw nominations for the 121 seats going to polls in the first phase was October 20.
As per the arrangement agreed so far, the RJD is contesting on 143 seats, the Congress on 61, VIP on 15, the three Left parties on 33 and Indian Inclusive Party on one seat. This means that for 243 seats, the number of candidates for the alliance is 253, underlining the public tussle for seats and candidates that has weakened the alliance’s campaigning over the last two weeks.
Meanwhile, protests have broken out within the Congress across several regions of Bihar over the alleged allocation of tickets to “non-deserving” candidates and former BJP allies. The discontent has triggered infighting in a party already struggling with a limited organisational presence in the poll-bound state. Several Congress leaders have also claimed that former NDA associates were granted party membership just before the nomination process began.
On Thursday, a section of the Congress workers staged a hunger strike at Sadaqat Ashram, the headquarters of the Bihar Congress, to protest against senior leaders. “The responsibility for Bihar should be given to a political leader, under whose supervision the elections should be conducted. This could potentially reduce the damage that is already occurring,” said Congress leader Anand Madhab.
Earlier this week, Congress’s Araria district chief Shad Ahmad wrote to Rahul Gandhi, alleging that he was not consulted for selection of candidates from the district.
“A person named Manoj Vishwas, who previously worked as an office-bearer in the BJP and later in the RJD, has recently come into contact with some leaders of the Congress Party at the state level. On 29th September 2025, he quietly took Congress membership at the state office, Sadaqat Ashram, Patna. However, I came to know about this only on 6th October 2025,” Ahmad had alleged in the letter. Vishwas has got the Congress’s ticket from Forbesganj.
The “friendly fights” among Mahagathbandhan allies in seats such as Lalganj, Narkatiaganj, Sultanganj, Vaishali, Kahalgaon, Bachhwara, Kargahar, Biharsharif and Rajapakar has also caused discontent within the Congress ranks over the party’s decision to give tickets to former BJP associates while overlooking party loyalists.
Congress insiders alleged that its candidate in Nautan seat, Amit Giri, has a past record of hobnobbing with the BJP. “Similarly, Purnea candidate Jitendra Yadav was earlier a leader of JDU. Md Irfan, a former member of JDU’s minority cell got the ticket for Kasba, replacing the sitting MLA Afaque Alam. In Nalanda, too, a former BJP associate Shailendra Kumar got the Congress’ ticket,” said a senior leader.
Congress leader Sachin Pilot, however, dismissed speculation about discontent over seat sharing, saying, “The Mahagathbandhan remains united, irrespective of seat distribution. Public support is with us, and all issues have been resolved. The right decisions will be made at the appropriate time. We expect vigilance from the Election Commission and urge transparency in the electoral process.”
The protests have prompted sharp reactions from the ruling NDA, with party leaders insisting that cracks within the INDIA bloc were there for all to see. “Voters are observing the character and mindset of the Mahagathbandhan. The way infighting is happening over seat distribution, with internal disputes and parties within the alliance blaming each other, has made voters realize that those who cannot even divide seats properly can never govern Bihar...,” Bihar BJP president Dilip Jaiswal said.
