Congress names candidates for Bihar Council polls, setting up clash with ally RJD

The Congress has named five candidates for the upcoming Bihar Legislative Council elections, setting up a direct electoral clash with its key alliance partner, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), in three seats.

The announcement, approved by Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal on Thursday evening, 1 October 2026, reveals a significant fracture in the seat-sharing arrangement between the two coalition partners.

Polling is scheduled to take place on 23 October 2026 for eight seats in the Upper House of the Bihar legislature. The terms of the four graduates' seats and four teachers' seats currently up for grabs are due to expire on 16 November 2026.

Where the allies will clash

The conflict between the allies is concentrated in the graduates' constituencies. The Congress has fielded Manoj Kumar Jaiswal for the Kosi Graduates' seat, Rajnikant Pathak for the Darbhanga Graduates' seat, and Asadullah Khan for the Patna Graduates' seat. Since the RJD is already actively contesting all three of these, the stage is set for a series of fights within the alliance.

The situation follows the RJD's announcement last month of its own candidates for six seats. At the time, RJD leaders left the door slightly open, stating that decisions on the remaining seats were still pending. The Congress's decision to announce its own slate suggests that bilateral talks to resolve those pending seats ultimately fell through.

Avoiding total fallout

Despite the friction over the graduates' seats, the two parties have avoided a total fallout by steering clear of each other in the teachers' constituencies.

The Congress has fielded its former state president, Madan Mohan Jha, for re-election from the Darbhanga Teachers' seat, where the RJD has declined to run. Similarly, the Congress's candidate for the Patna Teachers' constituency, Sanjay Yadav, will run without facing an opponent from the RJD.

How the voting works

These legislative council polls are distinct from general elections because they rely on highly restricted electorates.

To vote in the graduates' constituencies, electors must have held a degree from a recognised Indian university for at least three years and be a resident of that specific constituency. For the teachers' seats, voters must have at least three years of experience teaching in secondary schools, colleges, or universities. In both cases, eligible voters must be actively registered on the special electoral rolls compiled specifically for these elections.