Not all is well in the Mahagathbandhan as internal divisions will result in direct contests on 11 seats. The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Congress will face each other on six seats, the CPI and Congress on four, and Mukesh Sahani's Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) will challenge the RJD on one seat -- Chainpur. Advertisement

This became apparent after the RJD released a list of 143 candidates, including seats also contested by Congress, highlighting ongoing conflict within the bloc just ahead of the first phase of the Bihar polls. The seats where RJD will face off against the Congress are Vaishali, Sikandra, Kahalgaon, Sultanganj, Narkatiaganj, and Warsaliganj.

The last date for withdrawal of candidature for the second phase is 23 October, after which the final candidate rosters will be

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