Dynasty politics continues to dominate in Bihar election

Despite top political leaders talking about dynastic politics eroding the fabric of democracy, most major political parties in poll-bound Bihar continue to hand out tickets to relatives of those wielding influence in their parties or alliances.

Ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections, member parties of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and members of the Inclusive Alliance for National Development (INDIA) bloc distributed tickets to family members.

Sons, daughters, wives, daughters-in-law, sons-in-law and nephews of politicians from different political parties are in the fight.

In NDA, Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) founder and Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi tops the list of tickets provided to his family members. While Mr. Manjhi’s daughter-in-law Deepa Kumari is contesting from Imamganj seat, Deepa Kumari’s mother Jyoti Devi is contesting from Barachatti Assembly constituency. Mr. Manjhi’s son-in-law, Praful Manjhi, was evicted from his Sikandra Assembly seat.

Former MP and veteran Bhumihar leader Arun Kumar managed to get tickets for three members of his family – son, brother and nephew – in the NDA block. While Mr. Arun’s son Rituraj Kumar is the Janata Dal (United) candidate from the Ghosi Assembly seat, his brother Anil Kumar and nephew Romit Kumar got HAM(S) tickets from Tikari and Atari Assembly constituencies respectively.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which continues to be vocal about dynastic politics and never misses an opportunity to attack Opposition parties for nepotism, has also taken decisions contrary to its own rhetoric.

The BJP, which fielded candidates for 101 seats in the Parliament, distributed tickets to the family members of well-established politicians, considering its candidate list.

Prominent among the names is Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, son of veteran leader and former MP Shakuni Choudhary, a founding member of the erstwhile Samata Party. Mr. Samrat Choudhary is contesting the election from Tarapur Assembly seat after a gap of 15 years.

The BJP has re-nominated Nitish Mishra, son of former Bihar Chief Minister Jagannath Mishra and nephew of former Railway Minister LN Mishra, from the Jhanjharpur Assembly seat. Mr. Nitish Mishra is currently serving as Minister of State in the Nitish Kumar-led Cabinet.

Similarly, Shreyasi Singh was also re-nominated from Jamui Assembly seat. Ms. Singh is the daughter of former Union Minister late Digvijay Singh; His mother, Putul Kumari, was an MP from Banka parliamentary constituency.

The BJP changed its candidate from Gaura-Bauram Assembly seat and gave ticket to Sujit Kumar Singh. His wife Swarna Singh is a serving MLA. He had won the 2020 Assembly elections as a candidate of Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) but later joined the BJP.

Another name on the list is Sanjeev Chourasia, son of senior BJP leader and former Governor Ganga Prasad, who sits in the Digha Assembly seat. Nitin Nabin, elected from Bankipore Assembly seat, is the son of former MLA Navin Kishore Prasad.

BJP’s Rana Randhir (son of former MLA and former MP Sitaram Singh) in Madhuban seat, Devesh Kant Singh (son of former MLA Bhupendra Narayan Singh) in Goriyakothi seat, Vishal Prasant (son of former MLA Sunil Pandey) in Tarari seat, Gayatri Devi (son of former MLA) in Parihar seat There are other candidates of the BJP such as his daughter-in-law). MLA Ram Naresh Yadav) and in Baruraj seat Arun Kumar Singh (a third-generation leader as his father Brij Kishore Singh and grandfather Yamuna Singh were MLAs)

JD(U)’s candidate list is no different from that of its alliance partner as JD(U) has fielded a large number of such candidates with connections to serving politicians. Anant Singh, a powerful politician, is contesting from Mokama. He is the husband of MLA Neelam Devi. Former MP Anand Mohan’s son Chetan Anand has been nominated from Nabinagar seat and Cheriya-Bariyarpur candidate Abhishek Kumar is former Minister Manju Verma’s son.

JD(U)’s Komal Singh is the daughter of Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) MP Veena Devi. Ms. Komal Singh is contesting from Gaighat. Another strongman Dhumal Singh has contested the Ekma seat from which his wife Sita Devi had contested the 2020 Assembly elections but lost as a JD(U) candidate to RJD’s Srikant Yadav.

Vibha Devi, wife of former MLA Raj Ballabh Yadav, who was recently acquitted in the sexual assault case involving a minor, is contesting as a JD(U) candidate in the Nawada Assembly seat. Similarly, former MP Prabunath Singh, who is currently serving life imprisonment in the MLA Ashok Singh murder case, managed to get tickets for his son and brother from two different political parties. His son Randhir Singh is the JD(U) candidate in the Manjhi Assembly constituency while his brother Kedarnath Singh is the BJP candidate in the Baniapur seat.

LJP(RV), led by Union Minister Chirag Paswan, son of late Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, has also given ticket to his nephew Simant Mrinal, while his brother-in-law is already an MP from Jamui.

Also in the fray is Snehlata from Sasaram Assembly constituency, Upendra Kushwaha’s wife, Rajya Sabha member and president of the Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM).

The RJD, which has faced criticism for several years for inclining towards dynastic politics, has several such candidates, including former Chief Ministers Lalu Prasad and Rabri Devi’s son Tejashwi Yadav, who is contesting from the Raghopur Assembly seat.

While the party has given ticket to Osama Shahab, son of late politician-turned Muhammad Shahabuddin, from Raghunathpur seat in Siwan district, Shivani Shukla, daughter of former MLA and dictator Munna Shukla, who is currently serving life sentence in Brij Bihari murder case, has been nominated from Lalganj Assembly seat. Ms. Shukla’s mother is the current MLA from the seat.

RJD has also fielded Rahul Tiwary, son of senior RJD leader and former MP from Shahpur Assembly seat Shivanand Tiwary. While former CM Daroga Prasad Rai’s granddaughter Karishma Rai is contesting from the Parsa Assembly seat, former MLA Jagdish Sharma’s son Rahul Sharma is the candidate from the Ghosi seat.

VIP chief Mukesh Sahani fielded his younger brother Santosh Sahani from Gaura-Bauram seat, where there was a friendly contest with RJDs candidate Afzal Ali Khan.

Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) is no exception as it has given tickets to Jagriti Thakur, granddaughter of Bharat Ratna award-winning socialist leader Karpoori Thakur from Morwa Assembly seat, as well as Lata Singh, daughter of former MP RCP Singh, from Asthawan Assembly seat.

It was published – 21 October 2025 20:33 IST