What Candidates Did JD(U) Announce for Bihar Polls?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- JD(U) reveals a list of 57 candidates for Bihar Assembly elections.
- Prominent leaders and fresh faces are included.
- Strategic outreach to LJP supporters with Komal Singh's nomination.
- Party contests 101 seats under the NDA arrangement.
- Announcement made ahead of nomination deadline.
Patna, Oct 15 (NationPress) The Janata Dal (United) unveiled its initial roster of 57 candidates on Wednesday, featuring a mix of prominent state ministers and emerging faces for the forthcoming Bihar Assembly elections.
This announcement comes just two days prior to the nomination deadline for the first phase of the elections, which concludes on November 6.
The list showcases several notable leaders from Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's cabinet, alongside some newcomers.
Among the highlighted candidates, the Bahubali figure Anant Kumar Singh will represent Mokama, having already submitted his nomination a day earlier.
Vijay Kumar Choudhary, the state's Water Resource Minister and a close ally of the CM, has been chosen to contest from Sarairanjan in Samastipur district.
Shyam Rajak, the National General Secretary of JD(U), will run from Phulwarisharif in Patna district.
The party has nominated Ramanand Mandal from Suryagarha, a seat initially believed to be allocated to Prahalad Yadav, a former RJD MLA who aligned with the NDA during the February 2024 floor test. Yadav, who previously won the Suryagarha seat on an RJD ticket in 2020, has been denied a nomination this time.
Bihar JD(U) president Umesh Singh Kushwaha will contest from Mahnar (Vaishali), Cabinet Minister Maheshwar Hazari from Kalyanpur (SC reserved), Minister Ratnesh Sada from Sonbarsa (SC reserved), Minister Amrendra Pratap Singh from Kuchaikot (Gopalganj), and Education Minister Sunil Kumar from Bhore.
In a significant move, Komal Singh, daughter of Veena Devi (LJP-RV MP from Vaishali), has secured a ticket from Gaighat (Muzaffarpur), indicating a strategic outreach to LJP’s support base.
Most of the constituencies in JD(U)'s first list fall under the initial phase of elections.
According to the NDA's seat-sharing strategy, JD(U) is contesting 101 of Bihar's 243 Assembly seats, with the remainder distributed among the BJP, LJP (Ram Vilas), Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular), and Rashtriya Lok Morcha.