Congress and RJD Face Off on Five of Eight Bihar Legislative Council Seats

The Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) are heading into a direct contest in five of Bihar’s eight legislative council constituencies scheduled for elections on October 23, exposing tensions within the Opposition alliance. Although the results will not alter the state government or the composition of the legislative assembly, the contests could offer an indication of whether the Congress can rebuild an independent political base in Bihar rather than continuing to rely on the RJD. The terms of the sitting council members are due to end on November 16, and the elections cover teachers’ and graduates’ constituencies with electorates comprising registered teachers and degree-holders.

The RJD moved first in early September, announcing candidates for six of the eight seats while leaving Darbhanga Teachers and Tirhut Teachers open. Darbhanga Teachers is represented by sitting Congress MLC and former state president Madan Mohan Jha, while Tirhut Teachers is held by the Communist Party of India. On October 1, the Congress announced five candidates, including Jha from Darbhanga Teachers, Sanjay Yadav from Patna Teachers, Asadullah Khan from Patna Graduates, Rajnikant Pathak from Darbhanga Graduates and Manoj Kumar Jaiswal from Kosi Graduates. Several constituencies already had RJD nominees, and the RJD subsequently fielded Kumar Ray against Jha. The two allies are therefore contesting against each other in five constituencies, unlike the National Democratic Alliance, which divided the eight seats equally between the BJP and Janata Dal (United).

Congress state president Rajesh Ram has denied that the candidate list reflects a rift, saying the party’s primary contest is against the NDA and that its choices reflect the wishes of its workers. RJD leaders have argued that the Congress, Left parties and RJD have historically contested graduates’, teachers’ and local-body elections separately. However, the decision to field candidates after the RJD had already announced its nominees has renewed questions about the balance of power within the Mahagathbandhan. The Congress has traditionally depended on the RJD’s established social support base and its position as the principal Opposition force in Bihar, while struggling to maintain an independent organisational presence.

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The alliance’s difficulties became more visible during the Rajya Sabha elections on March 16. The Opposition sought to secure one seat by fielding sitting RJD member Amarendra Dhari Singh for another term, relying on support from its legislators as well as five AIMIM MLAs and the lone BSP member. Four legislators, including three Congress MLAs and one RJD MLA, did not vote. Singh received 37 first-preference votes, while the NDA won all five seats, including the fifth for BJP candidate Shivesh Kumar. The Congress issued show-cause notices to its absent legislators, some of whom reportedly argued that they had not been adequately consulted or valued by the RJD. The episode exposed the alliance’s difficulty in ensuring coordinated participation even when the Opposition had a potential path to victory.

The legislative council elections provide the Congress with an opportunity to test its strength among educated and urban voters, particularly in graduates’ constituencies where it hopes to establish a support base of its own. The party’s decision to contest seats already claimed by the RJD suggests that it is unwilling to accept only the constituencies left open by its larger ally. The RJD’s response, including fielding a candidate against Jha in Darbhanga Teachers, indicates that it is also unwilling to concede ground despite its reduced legislative strength. The Congress and RJD remain formally part of the same alliance, but their competing nominations demonstrate the growing difficulty of maintaining unity while pursuing separate electoral interests.

The results on October 23 will not change the government, but they could influence future negotiations over candidate selection and political representation. A strong Congress performance would give its leadership an argument for seeking a larger role in subsequent elections, while a poor showing could reinforce the RJD’s position that the Congress lacks an independent electoral organisation in Bihar. The RJD won 25 assembly seats in the November 2025 elections, down from 75 in 2020, while the Congress fell from 19 seats to six. With the Mahagathbandhan holding approximately 35 seats in the 243-member assembly, the alliance faces a weakened position against the NDA. The council contests will therefore serve as a limited but measurable test of the two parties’ strength, even as their formal alliance remains intact.

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