BJP general secretary Bhupender Yadav announced 39 candidates while the final decision on Khagaria Lok Sabha seat is yet to be taken by the LJP.
The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Bihar on Saturday released its list of candidates for 39 Lok Sabha seats in the state.
Addressing the media, BJP general secretary Bhupender Yadav announced 39 candidates. The final decision on Khagaria Lok Sabha seat, which has a sitting MP from Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), is yet to be taken.
As per the pre-poll arrangement among Bihar NDA partners, the BJP and the Janata Dal (United) will contest 17 seats each, while the remaining six would be fought by the LJP. The formula of seat-sharing was announced a few months ago in Delhi by BJP president Amit Shah, JD(U) national president Nitish Kumar, and LJP founder Ram Vilas Paswan.
In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) won only four seats and the Congress won two. The JD-U, which contested separately, won two seats. The BJP-led NDA won 31 seats, with the former's tally being 22.
Bihar will see polling in seven phases. The dates of polling in Bihar are April 11, 18, 23, 29 and May 6, 12 and 19. The counting of votes will take place on May 23.
Here is the list of all 39 candidates of Bihar NDA:
1. Complete list
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Patna Sahib: Ravi Shankar Prasad (BJP)
Patliputra: Ram Kripal Yadav (BJP)
Arrah: RK Singh (BJP)
Buxar: Ashwini Kumar Choubey (BJP)
Saran: Rajiv Pratap Rudy (BJP)
Maharajganj: Janardan Singh Sigriwal (BJP)
Purvi champaran: Radha Mohan Singh (BJP)
Paschimi champaran: Sanjay Jaiswal (BJP)
Darbhanga: Gopal Ji Thakur (BJP)
Muzaffarpur: Ajay Nishad (BJP)
Begusarai: Giriraj Singh (BJP)
Ujiyarpur: Nityanand Rai (BJP)
Madhubani: Ashok Kumar Yadav (BJP)
Sasaram: Chhedi Paswan (BJP)
Araria: Pradeep Singh (BJP)
Sheohar: Rama Devi (BJP)
Aurangabad: Sushil Kumar Singh (BJP)
Hajipur (SC): Pashupati Kumar Paras (LJP)
Vaishali: Veena Devi (LJP)
Samastipur (SC): Ramchandra Paswan (LJP)
Nawada: Chandan Kumar (LJP)
Khagaria: Yet to be announced (LJP)
Jamui: Chirag Paswan (LJP)
Nalanda: Kaushlendra Kumar (JDU)
Munger: Rajiv Ranjan Singh (JDU)
Bhagalpur: Ajay Kumar Mandal (JDU)
Karakat: Mahabali Singh (JDU)
Gaya (SC): Vijay Kumar Manjhi (JDU)
Jehanabad: Chandeshwar Prasad (JDU)
Purnia: Santosh Kumar Kushwaha (JDU)
Banka: Giridhari Yadav (JDU)
Kishanganj: Mahmood Ashraf (JDU)
Supaul: Dileshwar Kamait (JDU)
Katihar: Dulal Chand Goswami (JDU)
Valmiki Nagar: Vaidyanath Prasad Mahto (JDU)
Siwan: Kavita Singh (JDU)
Gopalganj (SC): Alok Kumar Suman (JDU)
Jhanjharpur: Ram Preet Mandal (JDU)
Sitamarhi: Varun Kumar (JDU)
Madhepura: Dinesh Chandra Yadav (JDU)
2. Shatrughan Sinha denied ticket
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The BJP won 22 Lok Sabha seats from Bihar in the last elections in 2014. Out of those, two MPs - Shatrughan Sinha and Kirti Azad - turned rebels. While Sinha, MP from Patna Sahib, has not yet left the party, Azad has joined the Congress.
BJP has given Ravi Shankar Prasad ticket from Patna Sahib while Gopal Ji Thakur will be the party's candidate in Darbhanga.
3. Sitting BJP MPs dropped
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Valmiki Nagar MP Satish Chandra Dubey has been denied ticket this time as seat went to the JD(U) which has declared Vaidyanath Prasad Mahto its candidate.
In place of Hukumdev Narayan Singh, sitting MP from Madhubani, his son has been given ticket this time.
Jhanjharpur MP Birendra Kumar Chaudhary has also been dropped as the seat went to JD(U) which announced Ram Preet Mandal as its candidate.
Janak Ram, Lok Sabha MP from Gopalganj, has also been denied ticket this time. In his place, Alok Kumar Suman of the JD(U) will contest here.
In Siwan, Kavita Singh has been made the JD(U) candidate and sitting BJP MP Om Prakash Yadav has been dropped.
BJP's Gaya MP Hari Manjhi has also been dropped as the seat went to JD(U) under the NDA arrangement. Vijay Kumar Manjhi of the JD(U) will be the NDA candidate here.
4. Giriraj Singh shifted to Begusarai
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Nawada MP Giriraj Singh shifted to Begusarai which was vacated by the death of sitting MP Bhola Singh.
5. Shahnawaz Hussain denied ticket
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Shahnawaz Hussain, BJP's Muslim face in Bihar who faced defeat on Bhagalpur seat last election and was looking to contest again has been denied ticket as the seat went to the JD(U) which has fielded Ajay Kumar Mandal.
Last election, the JD(U) had put up Abu Kaiser who played spoilsport for Shahnawaz.
6. Lone Muslim candidate
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The NDA has only one Muslim candidate among 39 names it released on Saturday. Mahmood Ashraf of the JD(U) will contest from Kishanganj which has a substantial Muslim population.
7. Khagaria undecided
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The NDA has not decided its candidate on Khagaria Lok Sabha seat which has gone to LJP under the pre-poll arrangement. Mehboob Ali Kaiser of the LJP won the seat in the 2014 election.
