Bihar Lok Sabha elections: RJD, Congress announce nominees for second phase polls

PATNA: Grand Alliance partners RJD and Congress on Sunday announced their candidates for the five parliamentary seats going to the polls in the second phase on April 18.


RJD retained its sitting MPs, Shailesh Kumar alias Bulo Mandal from Bhagalpur and Jay Prakash Narayan Yadav from Banka, while Congress named Tariq Anwar from Katihar, Mohammad Jawed from Kishanganj and Uday Singh from Purnia Lok Sabha constituencies.

Addressing a joint press conference of Grand Alliance, RJD state party president Ram Chandra Purbey announced his party’s candidates and the three seats given to Congress as part of the seat-sharing arrangement. Later, in the evening, All India Congress Committee (AICC) released the names of total ten candidates, including three from Bihar .

The decision on Bihar nominees was taken by at a meeting of Congress screening committee members and attended by Bihar Congress incharge Shatkisinh Gohil, state party president Madan Mohan Jha and Rajya Sabha member Akhilesh Kumar Singh, who is also the chairman of Congress campaign committee in Bihar.

Akhilesh told TOI that Congress will also declare the names of its other candidates by March 28-29. “We will try to announce the remaining candidates the same day,” he said.

RJD is contesting 20 out of the total 40 seats and has left 9 for Congress in Bihar. Among the other Grand Alliance constituents, RLSP has got 5 while HAM(S) of Jitan Ram Manjhi and Vikassheel Insaan Party of Mukesh Sahni have been given three seats each.

In Bhagalpur, Shailesh will have a direct fight with JD(U) MLA Ajay Kumar Mandal. In 2014 election, Shailesh had defeated BJP’s Shahnawaz Hussain while JD(U)’s Abu Kaiser had finished third.

Similarly, Jay Prakash had defeated BJP’s Putul Kumari in Banka last time. However, BJP has given Banka to JD(U), which has named Belhar MLA Giridhari Yadav as its candidate. As former MP Putul Kumari has announced her candidature as an independent candidate, Banka is set for a triangular contest this time. Giridhari has represented Banka in the Lok Sabha in 1996 and 2004 elections on RJD ticket.

Tariq had won the 2014 election from Katihar on NCP ticket by defeating two-time BJP MP Nikhil Kumar Choudhary. JD(U)’s Ram Prakash Mahto was third. This time, Tariq will face JD(U)’s Dulal Chand Goswami.

Congress’s Kishanganj candidate Mohammad Jawed is an MLA. Maulana Asrarul Haque, who had won in 2014, died in December last year. Haque had then defeated BJP’s Dillip Kumar Jaiswal while Akhtarul Iman of JD(U) had finished third. Iman is contesting on AIMIM ticket and JD(U) has fielded Mohammad Ashraf.

Former BJP MP Uday Singh alias Pappu Singh is the Congress nominee from Purnia. Uday had won this seat in 2004 and 2009 elections, but lost to JD(U)’s Santosh Kumar Kushwaha last time. Congress’s Amarnath Tiwari was third in the fray. This time, too, Kushwaha is contesting on JD(U) ticket.

Constituency —— Candidate

Bhagalpur ———Shailesh Kumar (RJD)

Banka —————Jay Prakash N Yadav (RJD)

Kishanganj ———Mohammad Jawed (Cong)

Katihar ————-Tariq Anwar (Cong)

Purnia ————Uday Singh (Cong)