JDU released the first list of 57 candidates for Bihar elections 2025. This includes 18 MLAs, 6 ministers and 3 powerful leaders. 30 new faces have got a chance, while there is no Muslim candidate in the list.
Amid preparations for Bihar Assembly elections 2025, Janata Dal (United) has released its first candidate list on Wednesday. A total of 57 names are included in this list. Interestingly, the party has given a second chance to 18 sitting MLAs, while 6 ministers have been fielded again. With this step, Nitish Kumar has given a clear message that the party is going to bet only on trustworthy faces.
In this list, JDU has tried to maintain power balance by giving tickets to three powerful leaders, Anant Singh, Dhumal Singh and Amarendra alias Pappu Pandey. At the same time, not a single Muslim candidate was given a place in this list, which remains a topic of discussion. Keeping in mind the social equation, the party has given opportunity to 10 Scheduled Caste and 4 women candidates.
New faces on 30 out of 57 seats, tickets of many MLAs cut
In the first list of JDU, old faces have been left out from 30 seats. The tickets of the sitting MLAs of Kusheshwarsthan and Sakra assembly were canceled, while this time JDU has staked claim on Bareilly seat instead of BJP. The candidate who won Matihani seat from LJP in 2020 will now contest on JDU ticket. At the same time, the party has tried to create a new social equation by making Komal Singh, who came from LJP, a candidate in Gaighat.
Keep an eye on the assets of 6 ministers
Six sitting ministers of Nitish government are in the electoral fray again this time. If we look at their affidavits, it is clearly visible that now both money and power have a deep influence in the politics of Bihar.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary’s net worth is around Rs 2 crore. He has more than 6 bighas of agricultural land, jewelery worth about Rs 19 lakh and land worth Rs 55 lakh. Property worth Rs 95 lakh is registered in his wife’s name in Patna.
Shravan Kumar, who hails from Nalanda district, owns three vehicles namely Bolero, XUV500 and Ambassador. His wife runs a gas agency and also has a big warehouse in Nalanda. The net worth is estimated between ₹3 to ₹4 crore.
Madan Sahni, social welfare minister from Bahadurpur, owns three vehicles and property worth about ₹2.8 crore. He has also shown a loan of ₹70 lakh in the affidavit.
Minority Welfare Minister Maheshwar Hazari is at the forefront in terms of property. The combined assets of him and his wife are around ₹9.32 crore. They have everything from bank balance, residential houses and agricultural land.
Education Minister Sunil Kumar, who is a doctor by profession, has declared assets worth more than ₹11 crore. He has properties worth crores in his name in Kolkata and Karunbagh. Interestingly, he has not mentioned any vehicle.
Ratnesh, who comes from the Dalit community, is the minister with the least assets in the government. His net worth is around ₹85 lakh, which is said to be less than that of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
Power, politics and property of Bahubali trio
There are three names in the first list of JDU which have been discussed as “Baahubali”. The first is Anant Singh, who is called ‘Chhote Sarkar’. He is contesting from Mokama seat and his and his wife’s combined assets are estimated to be around ₹100 crore. Out of which his wife Neelam Devi has assets worth more than ₹63 crore.
Dhumal Singh, who is a candidate from Ekma seat, has been active in Bihar politics for a long time. Many criminal cases have been registered against him. There are no official details of the property, but land and business investments worth crores are said to be made in the area.
The third Bahubali is Amarendra alias Pappu Pandey, who is in the fray from Kuchaikot. His net worth is over ₹7 crore, which includes immovable assets worth Rs 5.5 crore. He is the younger brother of Satish Pandey, accused in the former minister Brij Bihari murder case.