NEW DELHI: Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) has released the names of all 101 candidates it will field in the upcoming Assembly elections. The two-part announcement, made over consecutive days, showcases a familiar balancing act: a strong tilt towards backward and extremely backward classes, cautious inclusion of upper castes, and a token nod to Muslim and women candidates.For Nitish, who has built his political legacy on the plank of social justice, this list is as much a reflection of strategy as it is of survival. Over half the candidates come from OBC and EBC backgrounds: a signal that the chief minister is doubling down on his traditional base, even as questions persist over his party’s waning minority support and competition within the NDA.

OBC-EBC backbone: Caste arithmetic drives JD(U)’s strategy

The JD(U)’s final list shows Nitish Kumar’s traditional reliance on the numerically strong OBC and EBC vote banks. Of the total 101 candidates, 37 are from OBC communities and 22 from EBCs. Among the OBCs, Kushwahas (13), Kurmis (12), and Yadavs (8) dominate, reflecting Nitish’s attempt to consolidate his core rural base.While the inclusion of four Muslim nominees offers some symbolic representation, the sharp reduction from 11 Muslim candidates in 2020 has stirred speculation over whether Nitish has deprioritised minority outreach amid his deepened alliance with the BJP.

Old guard, new faces and turncoats

Almost all non-legislative council ministers in the Nitish Kumar government have been given another chance to contest, including Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, Bijendra Prasad Yadav, Zama Khan, Sheela Mandal, and Leshi Singh. Independent-turned-minister Sumit Kumar Singh, an old family associate of the chief minister, will again contest from Chakai.The JD(U) has also rewarded several political defectors and returnees. Vibha Devi, who recently crossed over from the RJD, has been fielded from Nawada, where she had previously won on an RJD ticket. Don-turned-politician Anant Singh, who left the JD(U) a decade ago before aligning with the RJD, is back in the fold and will contest from Mokama. Former MP Bulo Mandal, another ex-RJD face, has been brought back into active politics through Bhagalpur.Chetan Anand, the sitting MLA from Sheohar and son of JD(U) MP Lovely Anand, will contest from Nabinagar, while Sheohar has been handed to newcomer Shweta Gupta, a medical practitioner from Sitamarhi with prior BJP links. Former MPs Dulal Chandra Goswami, Mahabali Singh, and Chandraeshwar Chandravanshi, all of whom lost their Lok Sabha seats last year, have been offered a route to political rehabilitation through Assembly tickets.

Women’s representation remains limited

Despite Nitish Kumar’s vocal support for women’s reservation in legislatures, his party’s list shows only a modest commitment to gender inclusion. Thirteen women feature among the 101 candidates, including Komal Singh (Gaighat), Ashwamedh Devi (Samastipur), Ravina Kushwaha (Vibhutipur), and Kavita Kumari Saha (Madhepura). Two Muslim women have also been given tickets.

The low representation comes despite the chief minister’s support for women’s empowerment through reservations in panchayats and local bodies.

Allies align as Bihar battle heats up

The JD(U)’s final list follows similar announcements by its NDA allies. The BJP has now released candidates for all 101 seats in its quota, fielding high-profile names like deputy chief ministers Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, singer Maithili Thakur from Alinagar, and former IPS officer Anand Mishra from Buxar.Union minister Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) has declared 14 of its 29 candidates, while the Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) and Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) will contest six seats each.The elections for the 243-member Bihar Assembly will take place in two phases on November 6 and 11, with counting scheduled for November 14. The ruling NDA, buoyed by its seat-sharing agreement, faces a renewed challenge from the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan — and a test of whether Nitish Kumar’s carefully calibrated social coalition of OBCs, EBCs, and women can still deliver.