Bihar polls: Most RJD candidates have 'criminal' records, says BJP

New Delhi, Oct 21 BJP national spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain on Tuesday criticised the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) for fielding candidates with "criminal "backgrounds in the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, saying that out of RJD’s 143 candidates, a significant number have criminal records.

Speaking to IANS, Shahnawaz Hussain said, “In Bihar, RJD has announced its candidates. Out of their 143 candidates, most have criminal records. Some are out on bail, some have gone to jail, and some are facing impending sentences. Through this list, RJD has openly exposed the internal rift within the Mahagathbandhan. One of their candidates even went to jail after filing nominations.”

He added, “The NDA will win. Under the leadership of Nitish Kumar, and with the support of Upendra Kushwaha, Chirag Paswan, and the strategy of Amit Shah, we will win the Bihar polls with a huge majority. Many leaders in the Mahagathbandhan are at odds with each other and fighting internally. Given their disunity, how can they hope to stand against the NDA?”

Meanwhile, confusion and internal disagreements within the Mahagathbandhan alliance have led to an unusual situation in a constituency in Darbhanga district, where Tejashwi Yadav is expected to campaign against a candidate contesting on the RJD's own symbol.

Seat-sharing among Mahagathbandhan partners has been contentious, and several differences remain unresolved. As a result, many constituencies in Bihar will witness "friendly fights" in which alliance partners are pitted against each other.

In the Gaura Bauram constituency, the seat-sharing issue reached an extreme. Before the opposition bloc finalised its arrangement, the RJD had announced Afzal Ali Khan as its candidate from Gaura Bauram, providing him with the party symbol and official nomination documents.

Afzal, overjoyed with the confirmation, left Patna for his constituency, a four-hour journey to begin his campaign. However, by the time he arrived, backchannel negotiations between the RJD and Mukesh Sahni’s Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) had altered the plan. As part of the final pact, Gaura Bauram was allotted to VIP, and all Mahagathbandhan partners were directed to support Santosh Sahni, the VIP candidate.

A similar incident occurred during the Lok Sabha elections in Banswara, Rajasthan, where the Congress first fielded Arvind Damor and later withdrew support in favour of Rajkumar Roat of the Bharat Adivasi Party. Despite being asked to return the party symbol, Damor disappeared and re-emerged after the deadline, leading to Congress leaders campaigning against a candidate with their own party’s symbol. Roat eventually won, but Damor still secured over 60,000 votes—highlighting how such confusion can influence tightly contested races.

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