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Bihar Election: Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) on Monday released its list of 143 candidates for Bihar Assembly elections.
Bihar Election: Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) on Monday released its list of 143 candidates for Bihar Assembly elections. Of these, five will contest against candidates from other India Bloc constituents. The list was released a few hours before the filing of nomination papers for the second and final phase. This put to rest rumors that the RJD was going to contest the Kutumba seat, currently held by state Congress president Rajesh Kumar Ram, which could have led to a full-scale clash between the two allies. However, the party will contest against Congress in Vaishali, Lalganj and Kahalgaon and against former state minister Mukesh Sahni’s Vikassheel Insaan Party in Tarapur and Gaura Boram. Prominent among the candidates are Tejashwi Yadav (Raghopur), Alok Mehta (Ujiarpur), Mukesh Roshan (Mahua) and Akhtarul Islam Shaheen (Samastipur). All of them will save their existing seats. Bhola Yadav, a close aide of RJD president Lalu Prasad, had also won the Bahadurpur seat in 2015, but five years later the party lost the seat to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s JD(U). They will try to snatch it back from Minister Madan Sahni.
Former education minister in the fray from Madhepura
Former Speaker Awadh Bihari Choudhary, who was defeated by a new face from JD(U) when he contested the Lok Sabha elections from Siwan last year, has been allowed to contest from the same existing Siwan assembly seat. Former Education Minister Chandrashekhar, who has been in the news for his controversial views on Hindu scriptures, has also been fielded from his current seat Madhepura. The party appears to have kept in mind the “MY” (Muslim-Yadav) support base in selecting candidates, although tickets have also been given to other backward castes and upper castes. The main opposition party can also be proud of the fact that it has fielded 21 women, which is more than its main rivals JD(U) and BJP. The two main constituents of the ruling NDA, JD(U) and BJP are contesting on 101-101 seats.
Osama Shahab trying his luck from Raghunathpur
Despite being accused by its critics of bringing Jungle Raj while in power, RJD has given preference to practical politics rather than changing its image. Don-turned-politician Bogo Singh (Matihani) himself is in the fray, while Osama Shahab has been given a chance to carry forward the legacy of his late father Mohammad Shahabuddin by making his debut from Raghunathpur, which falls under the Siwan Lok Sabha seat. From where his late father remained undefeated until he was disqualified after being convicted in criminal cases. Women are also not lagging behind in carrying forward the legacy of their powerful husbands and fathers. Former MP Veena Devi, wife of gangster-turned-politician Surajbhan Singh, will challenge her husband’s arch rival Anant Singh in Mokama. Shivani Shukla, who has a law degree from London, is also contesting from Mokama. Lalganj, which has been won twice by his father Munna Shukla, one of the most feared gangsters of North Bihar, and once by his mother Annu Shukla.
Also read: Bihar elections: Amidst the ongoing tussle over seat sharing, Congress released the list of 7 more candidates.
(TagstransLate)Bhar Election
