The political atmosphere in Bihar heated up on Friday as the process of filing nomination papers for the first phase of the Assembly elections began, coinciding with a major party switch. Bharat Bind, the outgoing RJD MLA from Bhabua in Kaimur district, officially joined the BJP, giving the saffron camp a morale boost ahead of the polls.
With the gazette notification issued, candidates can file their nominations until October 17. As the election machinery rolls into action, political activities across the state have intensified. Parties are finalising their seat-sharing deals, releasing candidate lists, and facing internal rifts over ticket allocation.
Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party, which declared candidates for 51 seats on Thursday, witnessed turmoil within hours of the announcement. Party workers staged protests at the Patna office, expressing dissatisfaction over the distribution of tickets.
The first phase of voting is scheduled for November 6 across 121 constituencies in 17 districts, including Patna, Darbhanga, Saharsa, Muzaffarpur, Gopalganj, Siwan, Saran, Vaishali, Samastipur, Begusarai, Lakhisarai, Munger, Sheikhpura, Nalanda, Buxar, and Bhojpur.
As per the Election Commission’s schedule, scrutiny of nomination papers will take place on October 18, while withdrawals can be made until October 20.
The second phase of polling will be held on November 11, covering 122 constituencies. Nominations for this phase will begin on October 13 and close on October 20, with withdrawals allowed until October 23. Counting of votes is slated for November 14.
Meanwhile, senior BJP leader Dharmendra Pradhan arrived in Patna to hold crucial discussions with allies, including Chief Minister Nitish Kumar of JD(U), Chirag Paswan of LJP, Jitan Ram Manjhi of HAM, and Upendra Kushwaha of RLSP, as alliance talks intensify ahead of the elections.