As Bihar heads into a heated two-phase assembly election on November 6 and 11, the political scene saw a day of rapid developments on Thursday — from the Election Commission’s strong defence of its voter roll revision to the NDA completing its candidate lists, while the Mahagathbandhan (MGB) remains mired in seat-sharing talks. Tej Pratap Yadav filed his nomination amid family tensions, and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took direct aim at the opposition over the burqa voter verification controversy.

NDA completes list, star campaigners announced

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) formally declared all its candidates for the 243-member Bihar Assembly, with both JD(U) and BJP announcing 101 seats each. Other allies, the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), the Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) and the Hindustani Awami Morcha (HAM), have also completed their lists.JD(U)’s second list featured ministers Sheila Mandal, Vijendra Prasad Yadav, Leshi Singh, Jayant Raj and Zama Khan, along with turncoats Chetan Anand and Vibha Devi. “The JD(U) has now released all 101 candidates,” the party said.The BJP, meanwhile, unveiled its list of 40 star campaigners, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and party president JP Nadda. It also includes five chief ministers: Yogi Adityanath, Hemanta Biswa Sarma, Rekha Gupta, Mohan Yadav and Devendra Fadnavis — and a mix of senior leaders and Bhojpuri stars such as Pawan Singh, Manoj Tiwari and Ravi Kishan.The first phase of polling will be held on November 6, the second on November 11, and counting on November 14.

Mahagathbandhan still undecided on seat-sharing

While the NDA went into campaign mode, the opposition Mahagathbandhan (MGB) is yet to finalise its seat-sharing formula. RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav filed his nomination from Raghopur but refrained from announcing the alliance’s seat division.Congress leader Kanhaiya Kumar said an agreement within the INDIA bloc would be announced “soon”. Speaking to reporters, he said, “Discussions are progressing in the right direction… the people believe in Tejashwi Yadav as their leader.”He accused the Nitish Kumar-led government of “failing to meet the people’s needs over the last 20 years” and cited a CAG report on Rs 73,000 crore in unutilised funds. “Bihar’s youth deserve better. Rats drinking liquor, stolen bridges and question paper leaks show the scale of corruption,” Kumar said.He confirmed he would not contest the election but would campaign across 243 constituencies, adding: “My beliefs have not changed. Only the platform has.”

Tej Pratap files from Mahua amid family rift

Janshakti Janata Dal (JJD) chief Tej Pratap Yadav filed his nomination from Mahua with a roadshow, carrying a photo of his grandmother. “I have moved ahead with the blessings of my grandmother and my parents. People of Mahua will support whoever works for them,” he said.Tej Pratap, earlier expelled from the RJD, now leads his own party after a public rift with his brother Tejashwi. He recently unfollowed Tejashwi on X, adding to speculation of a full family break.Mahua, currently held by RJD’s Mukesh Kumar Raushan, will now see a high-profile contest. Tej Pratap said he had worked to make Mahua a district and promised jobs for the youth.

EC defends Bihar voter list before SC

The Election Commission on Thursday defended the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Bihar’s electoral roll before the Supreme Court, calling it “accurate” and dismissing allegations of Muslim voter exclusion as “false and communal”.“This communal approach is to be deprecated,” the poll body said in its affidavit, responding to a petition by the Association of Democratic Reforms and activist Yogendra Yadav. The EC told the court that “no appeal has been filed by any voter” since the publication of the final roll and that errors had been minimal.It added that 3.66 lakh names were deleted due to duplication, migration or deaths, and that “not a single objection has been reported so far”. The final voter count now stands at 7.42 crore — down by 47 lakh from the earlier list.The bench, led by Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi, posted the matter for further hearing on November 4.

Yogi targets RJD-Cong over burqa voter row

On the campaign trail in Danapur, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath accused the RJD-Congress combine of “mischief” over the EC’s decision to verify the identity of burqa-clad women voters.“Should fake voters be allowed to vote? The Congress and RJD want this to happen,” he said, claiming the opposition opposed electronic voting “because they want to restore the old system of booth capture”.He linked Bihar’s politics to cultural heritage, saying, “After the construction of a grand temple of Lord Ram at Ayodhya, the birthplace of Goddess Sita in Sitamarhi is all set for a facelift.”Calling the RJD’s allies “partners of the mafia”, Yogi declared, “Under NDA rule, they will meet the same fate in Bihar.”