JD(U) finalises candidates for almost all assembly seats

Patna: The ruling JD(U) has finalised its candidates for almost all 101 seats it will be contesting in the upcoming state assembly polls in alliance with its NDA allies, namely BJP, HAM-S, and RLM, sources in the JD(U) said on Sunday.

Though the party is yet to officially announce the names of its candidates, it has alerted by phone all those candidates who have to file nominations in the first phase of the two-phase polls.

Insiders in the JD(U) said the party may come out with the list of most of its candidates either on Monday or Tuesday. “The 101 seats which the JD(U) would be contesting have already been identified. The list of seats of all NDA allies will be declared during a joint press conference in Patna on Monday,” a senior JD(U) leader told TOI.

“The candidates against almost all 101 seats have been identified. The candidates were finalised after a marathon seat-to-seat discussion with the party’s top leaders. Feedback received from the field leaders was taken into consideration while finalising the seats and candidates,” the JD(U) leader said.

With the JD(U) agreeing to contest an equal number of seats with the BJP (101 each), it is the first assembly poll since 2005 that CM Nitish Kumar’s party will not be contesting more seats than the BJP in alliance. It is being considered a clear signal about the growing influence of the BJP in the ruling alliance in Bihar.

In 2020, the JD(U) contested 115 seats and the BJP 110 seats, while Chirag Paswan’s erstwhile LJP fought independently due to his political differences with the CM. The NDA won 125 seats while Mahagathbandhan secured 110 seats in the closely contested election.


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