Bihar Elections 2025: Rebels Pose Challenge To All Political Parties
Here's a comprehensive report on how rebels and independent candidates have impacted election results in Bihar and the current challenges.
Published : September 29, 2025 at 3:09 PM IST
Patna: Ahead of the Assembly election in Bihar, rebels, having denied tickets, may pose challenge to all political parties and play spoilsport for the alliances, impacting many seats.
As per experts, political parties always want to bet on winning candidates, but each seat has many contenders and subsequently many of them would be denied tickets. These candidates will either contest as independents or switch to other parties. This situation seems to unfold in around two dozen seats this time.
Rebels Had Disturbed Equation:
In 2020, the victory in 11 Assembly seats was determined by a margin of less than 1,000 votes. In many of these seats, it was the independents and rebels who played significant roles. In many seats, rebels had turned the tables by garnering between 40,000 and 50,000 votes.
Ajay Kumar, a BJP candidate from Minapur contested as Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) candidate in 2020 after being denied ticket. He received over 43,000 votes, while the JDU candidate lost to the RJD candidate by 16,000 votes.
Pramod Kumar Priyadarshi, who contested from Lokha on a BJP ticket in 2015, was denied a ticket in 2020 and so contested from LJP. He secured 30,000 votes. In this seat, the JDU candidate lost to the RJD candidate by 10,000 votes.
Arjun Ram, who contested the Rajauli reserved seat on a BJP ticket in 2015, contested as an independent candidate in 2020, garnering 14,400 votes. Here, BJP lost to the RJD by 12,000 votes.
Pradeep Kumar Das, who contested the Kasba seat in Purnia on a BJP ticket in 2010 and 2015, contested on a LJP ticket in 2020, garnering 60,000 votes.
Dilip Verma, who contested the Sikta assembly constituency on a BJP ticket in 2015, contested as an independent candidate in 2020 after being denied a ticket and finished second, while the JDU candidate finished third.
Manjit Singh contested the Baikunthpur seat on a JDU ticket in 2015, but the seat went to the BJP in 2020. Manjit Singh contested as an independent candidate and garnered over 43,000 votes following which, the BJP candidate lost by 11,000 votes.
Devranjan Singh contested the 2015 election from Maharajganj on a BJP ticket. After being denied a ticket, he withdrew from the Lok Sabha seat in 2020 and secured 18,000 votes. The JDU candidate lost by 12,000 votes.
Manoranjan Singh, also known as Dhumal Singh, contested the 2015 election from Ekma. After being denied a ticket, his wife, Sita Devi, contested as an independent in 2020. Meanwhile, Kameshwar Singh, the BJP candidate in Ekma contested the 2020 election on the LJP ticket and secured 30,000 votes. Sita Devi lost by 13,000 votes.
Rebels To Play Spoilsport Again:
There are a few seats, where rebellion is inevitable. For instance, Gyanendra Singh Gyanu, BJP MLA from Barh assembly constituency in Patna, has been in the news for his statements against the party leadership. Karanveer Singh Yadav, also known as Lallu Mukhiya, is also on the list of contenders and if he does not receive a party ticket, he will contest as an independent.
For the Gaighat seat, Komal Singh, daughter of JDU MLC Dinesh Singh, contested on an LJP ticket last time. Son of former MLA Maheshwar Prasad Yadav is staking claim to the Gaighat seat this time. He claims the seat belonged to the JDU. A recent dispute between the two erupted at an NDA event.
Independent candidate Sumit Singh won the 2020 election from Chakai. He later supported the JDU and was appointed as Science and Technology minister. However, Sanjay Prasad had contested on a JDU ticket but was defeated by a candidate fielded by LJP. This time, Sumit Singh is preparing to contest from here on a JDU ticket while Sanjay Prasad is confident that Lallan Singh will not allow his ticket to be cut. Consequently, rebellion is inevitable here as well.
Furthermore, there are multiple contenders for a host of seats, including Dumraon, Karhagar, Ara, Mahua, Danapur, Kumhrar and Digha assembly seats. It is only after seat allocation and announcement of candidates that it will become clear as to how many rebels will contest the polls.
Why Rebellion?
Political expert Praveen Bagi said parties lack transparency in ticket selection. Workers who have worked for years are often overlooked when it comes to ticket allocation. Furthermore, money power plays a significant role in ticket distribution. Parties are also accused of selling tickets. This accusation is most often levelled against smaller parties. Therefore, many old leaders turn rebel and enter the fray when they are denied tickets, Bagi explained.
"Every year, rebels contest elections and impact many seats. This time too, rebels will be seen contesting in over two dozen seats," Bagi said.
Another political expert Sunil Pandey said that many leaders join other parties with the hope of getting a ticket, but when that doesn't happen, they rebel. Similarly, sometimes when an outsider gets a ticket, other leaders rebel, Pandey added.
"Many prominent leaders leave one party and join another in the hope of securing ticket for themselves or their families, and this phenomenon is seen every time before an election. It's evident this time as well," Pandey said.
Last 3 Years Poll Data:
Looking at the data from the Assembly elections held in 2010, 2015, and 2020, a total of 34 BJP candidates and 26 JDU candidates had contested the polls. Taking into account the seats contested by the two parties, it can be said that BJP contested 102 seats in 2010, 157 in 2015, and 110 in 2020. On the other hand, JDU contested 141 seats in 2010, 101 in 2015, and 115 seats in 2010.
Only 12 candidates from the RJD contested all three elections, while from Congress, the figure was seven. The RJD contested 168 seats in 2010, 101 in 2015, and 144 in 2020.
How Rebels Led To Setback?
In the 2020 Assembly elections, 29 candidates from the NDA and grand alliance finished third, largely due to rebels and independent candidates. Nineteen NDA candidates and 10 Grand Alliance candidates finished third.
Prominent NDA candidates who secured the third position included Khurshid Firoz Ahmed from Sikta, Rajeshwar Chauhan from Raghunathpur, Madhavi Kumari from Manjhi, Kaushal Yadav from Nawada, Sanjay Prasad from Chakai, Jaikumar Singh from Dinara, Ashok Kumar Singh from Ramgarh, and Kaushal Vidyarthi from Tarari. Meanwhile, the Grand Alliance's prominent candidates included Asif Ghafoor from Gopalganj, Abdul Jalil Mastan from Aamro, Rajendra Prasad Singh from Matihani, and Abdul Subban from Baisi.
Performance Of Independents
- In 2010, 1,342 independents contested, of whom, only six won, and 1,324 had their deposits forfeited.
- In 2015, 1,150 independents contested, of which only four won, and 1,132 had their deposits forfeited.
- In 2020, 1,299 independents contested the elections, and only one won, while 1,284 had their deposits forfeited.
Independents may not win elections, but they play a significant role in the political equation.
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