As the Bihar Council polls for 24 seats under the local area constituencies category are barely a month away, the Chirag Paswan–led Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) is all set to go solo and cause damage to the winning prospects of many candidates as it had done in the last Assembly elections.
Mr. Paswan–led united LJP, though, had won a single seat in the poll but it allegedly had caused the defeat of over two dozen ruling JD(U) candidates. Months later, he faced a rebellion leading to a split into Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party led by his uncle and now Union Minister Pashupati Kumar Paras and the LJP (Ram Vilas).
The poll is slated for April 4 and the results will be announced on April 7.
Of the 24 seats, 13 were held by the BJP, eight by the JD(U), two by the Rashtriya Janata Dal and one by the Congress party. The ruling NDA allies — the BJP and the JD(U) — had recently finalised a deal to contest 12 and 11 seats leaving one seat to Mr. Paras-led party.
Two of the other NDA partners, the Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) led by former Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi and Mukesh Sahani (a Minister in Nitish Kumar Cabinet) were given the cold shoulder.
In the Opposition Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) camp, the RJD did not spare even a single seat to ally Congress. It will contest 23 seats leaving one seat to the CPI. After a long wait for a tie-up, the Congress too announced it would go it alone.
The LJP (Ram Vilas) faction has announced it will contest Gaya, Nalanda, Rohtas, Darbhanga and Saharsa seats generating fears that it would mar the wining prospects of the nominees of both alliances.
“There is a support base for our party too in some constituencies and we’re focusing on them to do well,” said LJP (Ram Vials) vice-president Asraf Ansari.
The party sources told The Hindu that it has thought of contesting in at least 14 seats and wreck the prospects of more NDA candidates than the Opposition nominees. “Time will reveal everything but we’re hopeful of doing well,” said Mr. Ansari.
The BJP is said to have finalised the list of candidates and constituencies at its State election committee meeting held on March 6 at the State party headquarters in Patna. The list, said party sources, has been sent to the top party leadership in Delhi for its final approval.
The Hindu has come to know that the BJP has finalised the names of Rajnish Kumar (Begusarai–Khagaria), Santosh Kumar Singh (Rohtas–Kaimur), Tarun Kumar (Samastipur), Dilip Kumar Jaiswal (Purnia–Araria–Kishanganj), Ashok Kumar Agrawal (Katihar), Nutan Singh (Saharsa–Madhepura–Supaul), Manoj Singh (Siwan), Sachchidanand Rai (Saran), Rajiv Ranajn Singh alias Gappu Singh (Gopalganj) and Sunil Choudhary or Ranjit Singh (Darbhanga).
The JD(U) too has nearly prepared its final list. Both the NDA constituents have left the Vaishali seat to Mr. Paras and the party is likely to field Bhushan Rai from the seat.
“The NDA is likely to announce the names of all candidates and constituencies in a day or two, probably on March 9, in Patna”, a State BJP leader said.
The RJD, said party sources, is ready with the list. Party leader Tejashwi Yadav, also Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, had earlier snubbed the Congress saying the “party does not have enough votes to win the election”.
“We’ve made it clear that we support them [the Congress] at the national level and it is the regional parties that should be in the driving seat in the States where they are strong,” Mr. Yadav said which had invited sharp reaction from some senior Congress leaders.
Later, the Congress too announced its decision to go solo to make its presence felt in the poll. In October 2021, the two had fallen out with each other in the bypoll to the Tarapur (Munger) and Kusheshwarsthan (Darbhanga) Assembly seats and both lost to the ruling JD(U) candidates.
