Congress releases second list of candidates for Bihar Assembly elections, adds five more names

New Delhi: The Congress on Saturday announced its second list of candidates for the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections. It has fielded five more candidates for key constituencies across the state. With this, the party has so far declared 53 candidates out of the 243 seat up for grabs in the two-phase election scheduled for November 6 and 11.

In its latest announcement, the Congress has nominated Shaswat Kedar Pandey from Narkatiaganj, Qamrul Hoda from Kishanganj, Irfan Alam from Kasba, Jitender Yadav from Purnia, and Mohan Shrivasta from Gaya Town. These names add to the 48 candidates announced in the party’s first list released on Friday.

Mahagathbandhan partners unable to reach consensus

The polling for the 243-member Bihar Legislative Assembly will be conducted in two phases, November 6 and November 11. The counting of votes is slated for November 14. The Congress, part of the opposition Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) along with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), is contesting polls amid differences over seat-sharing.

According to reports, the Mahagathbandhan partners were unable to reach a consensus on several constituencies ahead of the nomination deadline for the first phase, which ended on October 17. Consequently, some allies including the Congress and RJD are expected to face each other in what leaders have described as a “friendly fight.”

JMM to contest polls independently

Meanwhile, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), a member of the opposition INDIA bloc and a key ally in neighbouring Jharkhand, has decided has decided to contest the Bihar polls independently. JMM general secretary and spokesperson Supriyo Bhattacharya announced on Saturday that the party would field its candidates on six seats across the state.

In its first list, the Congress had announced 48 candidates, including several prominent faces. Bihar Congress chief Rajesh Ram has been fielded from Kutumba, while CLP leader Shakeel Ahmad Khan will contest from Kadwa. The party has also nominated Bihar Youth Congress president Prakash Garib Das from Bachhwada, Jayesh Mangal Singh from Bagaha, Amit Giri from Nautan, and Abhishek Ranjan from Chanpatia.