BJP Announces First List of 71 Candidates for Bihar Assembly Polls; Samrat Choudhary, Vijay Sinha Among Key Names

Patna: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday unveiled its first list of 71 candidates for the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, even as discussions over seat-sharing within the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) continue.

The list features several senior leaders, including both Deputy Chief Ministers — Samrat Choudhary, who will contest from Tarapur, and Vijay Kumar Sinha, who has been fielded again from Lakhisarai, a seat he has represented four times since 2005.

Prominent names in the BJP’s first list include former Deputy Chief Ministers Renu Devi (Bettiah) and Tarkishore Prasad (Katihar), along with Mangal Pandey (Siwan), Nitish Mishra (Jhanjharpur), Neeraj Kumar Singh Bablu (Chhatapur), Vijay Kumar Mandal (Sikti), Sanjay Saraogi (Darbhanga), Rana Randhir Singh (Madhuban), Sunil Kumar Pintu (Sitamarhi), Nitin Nabin (Bankipur), Dr. Prem Kumar (Gaya Town), and Siddharth Saurav (Bikram).

The BJP has also emphasized greater female participation, announcing nine women candidates, including Renu Devi, Shreyasi Singh (Jamui), Aruna Devi (Warsaliganj), Rama Nishad (Aurai), Nisha Singh (Pranpur), Kavita Devi (Korha), Sweety Singh (Kishanganj), Devanti Yadav (Narpatganj), and Gayatri Devi (Parihar).

In a notable exclusion, Bihar Assembly Speaker Nand Kishore Yadav does not feature in the list. Meanwhile, Ram Kripal Yadav, a former Union Minister who lost from Patliputra in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, has been nominated from Danapur.