Patna, Bihar: The Janata Dal (United) [JD(U)] on Wednesday released its first list of 57 candidates, including several state ministers and new entrants, for the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections.
The announcement comes just two days before the deadline for filing nominations for the first phase of polling on November 6.
Key Leaders and Ministers Fielded
The list features prominent leaders from Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s cabinet alongside fresh faces:
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Anant Kumar Singh, the Bahubali leader, will contest from Mokama, where he had already filed his nomination on Tuesday.
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Vijay Kumar Choudhary, Bihar’s Water Resource Minister and a close aide of CM Nitish, will contest from Sarairanjan in Samastipur.
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Shyam Rajak, JD(U) National General Secretary, will run from Phulwarisharif in Patna.
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Ramanand Mandal has been fielded from Suryagarha, a seat previously held by Prahalad Yadav, who switched from RJD to NDA earlier this year but has been denied a ticket this time.
Other key names include:
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Umesh Singh Kushwaha – Mahnar (Vaishali)
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Maheshwar Hazari – Kalyanpur (SC)
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Ratnesh Sada – Sonbarsa (SC)
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Amrendra Pratap Singh – Kuchaikot (Gopalganj)
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Sunil Kumar – Bhore
New Faces and Strategic Outreach
In a notable inclusion, Komal Singh, daughter of Veena Devi (LJP-RV MP from Vaishali), has been given a ticket from Gaighat (Muzaffarpur), reflecting JD(U)’s attempt to consolidate support among LJP voters.
Most of the constituencies in this first list fall under the first phase of elections, indicating JD(U)’s focus on securing key seats early in the campaign.
Seat-Sharing Under NDA
Under the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) seat-sharing arrangement, JD(U) will contest 101 of Bihar’s 243 Assembly seats, while the remaining constituencies are distributed among BJP, LJP (Ram Vilas), Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular), and Rashtriya Lok Morcha.
The JD(U)’s candidate list is expected to set the tone for the party’s campaign strategy in the crucial first phase of Bihar elections.