The Congress Party distributed assembly election tickets in Bihar on Wednesday, though the process was marked by internal dissent and ongoing seat-sharing negotiations with alliance partners.
Congress gives Bihar Assembly Polls Tickets
State Congress president Rajesh Kumar and legislative party leader Shakil Ahmed Khan faced confrontation from disappointed ticket aspirants upon their evening arrival at Patna airport. The protesters accused the leaders of corrupt practices in ticket distribution. Kumar and Khan had returned from Delhi with plans to announce candidates at Sadaqat Ashram, the Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee headquarters, but altered their strategy due to the hostile reception.
Instead, candidates were summoned to a leader’s residence where they received party symbols. The Bihar Congress shared photographs of selected candidates on its social media platform. Notable candidates include Kumar himself, seeking re-election from the reserved Kutumba constituency, and sitting legislators Anand Shankar Singh from Aurangabad, Vijendra Chaudhary from Muzaffarpur, and Pratima Das from Raja Pakar.
The party adopted a distribution approach similar to alliance partners Rashtriya Janata Dal and CPI(ML) Liberation, as well as rival Janata Dal (United) led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar—all issuing tickets without formal announcements. Several candidates have completed nomination filings ahead of Friday’s deadline for the first polling phase, with the second phase deadline extending until October 20.
Late Wednesday night, Kumar, Khan, and All India Congress Committee Bihar in-charge Krishna Allavaru met with RJD president Lalu Prasad. Sources indicate they reached an agreement resolving their seat-sharing dispute.
Congress in Bihar
According to unconfirmed reports, Congress has accepted 61 constituencies—nine fewer than the 70 contested in 2020, when the party secured only 19 seats. The RJD will reportedly receive the largest allocation, though fewer seats than the 144 it contested previously, winning 75. Left alliance partners CPI(ML) Liberation, CPI(M), and CPI, along with former state minister Mukesh Sahani, are expected to contest remaining seats in the 243-member assembly.
Congress sources suggest the party has adopted a more assertive negotiating position, believing Rahul Gandhi’s Voter Adhikar Yatra has strengthened its prospects in Bihar, where it has long struggled for electoral relevance.
