BJP Bihar Chief Dilip Jaiswal Confirms NDA’s First List of Candidates to Drop Tonight — “We Five Pandavas Are United,” Says Jaiswal

Patna: Patna is abuzz with political anticipation as Bihar gears up for the upcoming Assembly elections. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Bihar President Dilip Jaiswal announced on Monday that the party will release its first list of candidates later in the evening, signaling the formal start of the NDA’s campaign momentum.

Addressing reporters, Jaiswal reaffirmed the National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA) unity, stressing that the alliance partners have reached a consensus on seat-sharing without conflict.

“The NDA alliance has announced the seat-sharing arrangement. I have been saying from the beginning that we five ‘Pandavas’ will contest the Bihar assembly elections with complete unity. We have announced the seat-sharing arrangement first and will start announcing the candidates from this evening,” Jaiswal said.

The “five Pandavas” remark referred to the five key NDA allies in Bihar — BJP, Janata Dal (United), Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Rashtriya Lok Morcha, and Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM).

Dismissing any speculation of rift within the alliance, Jaiswal lauded HAM chief Jitan Ram Manjhi’s unwavering commitment to the coalition.

“Jitan Ram Manjhi has said that under the leadership of the Prime Minister, we will contest the elections unitedly,” Jaiswal reiterated.

Political observers note that this declaration comes just hours before the release of the candidate list, highlighting the NDA’s intention to project a strong, united front against the opposition INDIA bloc.

The Bihar Assembly Elections 2025 are expected to be closely contested, with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s JDU and BJP eyeing another term in power amid shifting voter dynamics and growing challenges from the RJD-Congress alliance.