Seat-sharing not announced, RJD releases list of 143 candidates for Bihar polls

The Rashtriya Janta Dal (RJD) on Monday released a list of 143 candidates for the Bihar Assembly elections, even as the party-led Grand Alliance has yet to finalise the seat-sharing agreement among its allies.

 

Tejashwi Yadav, who is widely seen as the chief ministerial nominee of the opposition bloc, will contest from Raghopur, while another party leader, Lalit Yadav, has been fielded in Darbhanga Rural. Dilip Singh will face the polls in Barauli.

 

The list, which was announced on the last day of nominations for the second phase of polling, also included 24 women candidates. Of them, Renu Kushwaha has been fielded in Bihariganj constituency, Savitri Devi in Chakai, Anita Devi Mahto in Warsaliganj, Mala Pushpam in Hasanpur, Sandhya Rani Kushwaha in Madhuban, Ritu Priya Chaudhary in Imamganj (SC), Tanushree Manjhi in Barachatti (SC), and Chandni Devi Singh in Baniapur.

 

The RJD’s list was announced after its ally Congress released a list of six candidates on Monday, taking the total number of candidates announced by the party to 60.

 

The lists were out even as a formal seat-sharing deal has eluded the Mahagathbandhan with the RJD and the Congress—the two main constituents of the alliance—unable to reach an understanding.

 

The CPI and CPI(ML), the two other parties in the alliance, have already announced their candidates.

 

The Congress on Thursday had released its first list of 48 candidates for the elections, fielding its state unit chief Rajesh Ram from Kutumba seat and CLP leader Shakeel Ahmad Khan from Kadwa.

 

There are some common seats where both RJD and Congress have fielded a candidate.

 

Polling for the 243-member Bihar Assembly will take place on November 6 and 11. The results will be announced on November 14. 

India