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New Delhi, Oct 8 (IANS) In a strategic move ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections, the Congress has approved the names of 25 candidates for constituencies considered its traditional stronghold.
The decision was taken during a high-level meeting of the party’s Central Election Committee (CEC) held at Indira Bhawan in Delhi on Wednesday, October 8, 2025.
The meeting, which comes amid ongoing seat-sharing talks with grand alliance partners – mainly the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Left parties – was attended by top Congress leaders.
Sonia Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi participated virtually, while KC Venugopal, Ajay Maken and other senior officials were present in person.
According to Bihar Congress chief Rajesh Ram, the seats discussed have already been cleared by the alliance partners and have historically been with the Congress.
“We insisted that these constituencies should remain with us and the names of the candidates were finalized after thorough deliberations,” he said.
However, the official announcement of the candidates will be made only after further discussions with alliance partners and state leaders.
Under the grand alliance, Congress is expected to contest 55 to 60 seats out of the total 243 seats in Bihar. The remaining seat-sharing details are still under negotiation, with leaders expressing optimism about a smooth resolution.
Rajesh Ram said, “There is no infighting among the alliance partners. We will jointly announce the final list after mutual consent.”
Congress legislature party leader Shakeel Ahmed told IANS that the CEC has approved candidates for constituencies considered to be party strongholds. Meanwhile, Congress MP from Kishanganj and CEC member Mohammad Javed reiterated that senior leaders were actively involved in the selection process.
Bihar Assembly elections are to be held in two phases on November 6 and 11 and the counting of votes is scheduled on November 14.
The RJD-led grand alliance aims to challenge the current NDA government, making this election a crucial test for opposition unity and strategy.
As the political scenario heats up in Bihar, all eyes are on how the final seat-sharing formula pans out and whether the Congress can regain its influence in the state.
On the Congress Central Election Committee meeting, Khan further said, “Our discussions have been completed. Now only discussions are left with the alliance partners and that too will be completed soon.”
–IANS
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