Opposition's Jale Seat Pick Stirs Bihar Elections Pot, Congress Plays Safe After Row

Last Updated:October 17, 2025, 16:36 IST

The leader in question was Mohammad Naushad Alam, whose rally had triggered a political storm over abusive slogans directed at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s late mother

A total of 121 out of 243 seats will go to the polls in the first phase on November 6. (Image: PTI/File)

A heated debate erupted on Friday over the possible entry of a controversial Congress leader into the Bihar poll ring, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seizing the opportunity to launch a fresh offensive against the opposition alliance in the eastern state, which goes to polls next month. Soon after, the Congress appeared to douse the row by announcing a different candidate.

The leader in question was Mohammad Naushad Alam, whose rally had triggered a political storm over abusive slogans directed at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s late mother. The seat in question was Jale, eyed by both the Congress and ally Rastriya Janata Dal (RJD) during seat discussions.

It was reported by a section of the media that Alam, a youth leader from Darbhanga, had been given the party’s election symbol, a move that supposedly signalled the Congress’s intent to field him. However, his name was never included in the official Central Election Committee (CEC) list. And the party later announced Rishi Mishra as its pick from the Jale seat in the backdrop of a controversy.

Mishra, a senior RJD face, is contesting on the Congress symbol as part of the INDIA bloc’s evolving seat-sharing arrangement. His name featured in the party’s first official list of 48 candidates released late Thursday, just ahead of the nomination deadline for Phase 1.

Even on Thursday, as seat negotiations stretched till the 11th hour, some media reports said Jale was one of the disputed seats, with the Congress opting to field Alam and the RJD contesting that such a move would hand the ruling side an advantage.

Naushad’s name first made headlines during Rahul Gandhi’s Voter Adhikar Yatra in August. He was the chief organiser of the Darbhanga leg of the Yatra, where abusive language was shouted from the stage against PM Modi’s mother. The Prime Minister later described the incident as “deeply saddening, painful, and distressing," and Home Minister Amit Shah called it “a stain on our democracy." The BJP had also called for a Bihar bandh in protest.

BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla further escalated the attack, saying, “The Congress neither respects women nor mothers. In a country where we worship Sita Maa and Durga Maa, the Congress insults Prime Minister Modi’s mother and rewards those responsible."

Though Congress spokespersons publicly claimed that “BJP agents" had infiltrated the rally, internal damage control soon began. While Naushad was the event organiser, Congress sources maintain he was not responsible for the remarks made from the stage. A local court will hear Naushad’s bail request in the abuse case tomorrow.

Jale, in Bihar’s politically significant Darbhanga district, is expected to witness a high-stakes contest. The BJP’s sitting MLA Jivesh Mishra, a minister in the Nitish Kumar government, is seeking a third consecutive term.

This isn’t the first time the Congress’s pick in Jale has triggered a row. In 2020, the party fielded former AMU Students’ Union president Mashkoor Usmani, who was criticised by the BJP for allegedly supporting a Jinnah portrait. That controversy cost the Congress-RJD alliance heavily in the Mithila region.

The assembly election for the Jale constituency will be held on November 6, and the results will be announced on November 14.

News elections Opposition's Jale Seat Pick Stirs Bihar Elections Pot, Congress Plays Safe After Row

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