PATNA: Tussle and confusion persist as Bihar Mahagathbandhan failed to announce for seat-sharing pact even as nominations closed for the first of the two-phase Assembly elections in the state.
Though the deadline for filing nominations ended on Friday, talks were still underway within the INDIA bloc constituents to decide who will contest which seat. "The party symbols have been allotted to 46 candidates following an understanding between senior leaders of the Congress and RJD," said RJD spokesperson Chitranjan Gagan.
Congress on Thursday released its list of 48 candidates. A major ally of the Opposition bloc, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), named its candidates for 46 constituencies in the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections.
The non-declaration of remaining seats has led to confusion among Mahagathbandhan allies. As a result, they have fielded candidates from the same seats. For instance, the Congress fielded its candidate Aditya Kumar from the Lalganj Assembly seat. Hours after its declaration, the RJD allotted the party symbol to Shivani Shukla from the same seat.
Shivani Shukla and Aditya Kumar Raja filed their nominations on the last date of filing, on Friday, from the Lalganj seat. A similar situation has arisen in other seats like Bachhawara, Kahalgaon, and Sikandara. While the Congress fielded Shiv Prakash Garib Das as its candidate from Bachhwara, the CPI has also staked its claim on the same seat.
The CPI-ML (Liberation) has so far named its 18 candidates, including Madan Singh Chandrawanshi from Tarari, Shiv Prakash Ranjan from Agiaon, Quam Uddin Ansari from Ara, Ajit Kumar Singh (Kushwaha) from Dumraon, and Arun Singh Kushwaha from Karakat.
The party has also fielded its candidates from Arwal, Ghosi, Paliganj, Phulwarisharif, Digha, Darauli, Ziradei, Darauda, Bhore, Sikta, Warishnagar, Kalyanpur, and Balrampur seats.
Similarly, the CPI has fielded candidates on six seats, Teghra, Bakhri, Bachhwara, Banka, Harlakhi, and Jhanjharpur.
The Congress released its list of 48 candidates late on Thursday, including state president Rajesh Ram from Kutumba, and Congress Legislature Party leader Shakeel Ahmad Khan from Kadwa. Mukesh Sahani's Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) has already released the list of its six candidates, including Santosh Sahani from Gaura Bauram.
The Opposition INDIA bloc comp
On the other hand, the ruling NDA comprising the BJP, JD(U), LJP(RV), HAM, and RLM has announced its candidates for all 243 Assembly seats.
The main contest is expected to be between the NDA, led by the BJP-JD(U), and the INDIA alliance, spearheaded by Tejashwi Prasad Yadav of the Rashtriya Janata Dal.
