The
INDIA bloc in Bihar has announced its candidates for the upcoming by-elections to four assembly seats in the state, scheduled for next month. According to PTI, three of these seats became vacant after their MLAs were elected to the Lok Sabha.
The announcement was made during a press conference attended by state Congress president Akhilesh Prasad Singh, RJD chief Jagadanand Singh, and leaders from the CPI(ML), CPI, and CPI(M).
The
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) will contest three seats: Ramgarh, Belaganj, and Imamganj, while the CPI(ML) will aim to retain Tarari.
For the Ramgarh seat, the RJD has fielded Ajit Singh, the son of Jagadanand Singh and brother of Sudhakar Singh, who won a Lok Sabha seat from Jehanabad, triggering the need for this by-election. In Belaganj, Vishwanath Kumar Singh will make his debut; he is the son of Surendra Prasad Yadav, the current MP from Jehanabad.
The Imamganj seat, which the INDIA bloc is targeting from the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), will see RJD's Roshan Manjhi contesting. Manjhi is a former member of the Zilla Parishad in Gaya.
On the other hand, the CPI(ML) has nominated Raju Yadav for Tarari. Yadav previously contested the Arrah Lok Sabha seat in 2019 but was unsuccessful. This year, Sudama Prasad won this seat from R K Singh, a former two-term BJP MP, making way for the by-election.
From the NDA camp, the BJP has declared its candidates for Ramgarh and Tarari. Ashok Kumar Singh, a former MLA, will contest in Ramgarh, while Vishal Prashant, the son of several-term former MLA Sunil Pandey, is the nominee for Tarari. In Imamganj, the Hindustani Awam Morcha, led by Jitan Ram Manjhi, will field a candidate as a result of the recent Lok Sabha election from the Gaya seat.
Speculation surrounds the Hindustani Awam Morcha's candidate, with Deepa Manjhi, who is married to state minister Santosh Suman, being a likely choice. An official announcement is expected soon.
Belaganj is anticipated to be contested by Chief Minister
Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United), which was the runner-up in the 2020 assembly elections. The party has yet to disclose its candidate.
The upcoming by-elections are particularly significant as they take place just a year before the crucial assembly elections. According to PTI, Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj has also entered the fray, naming candidates for all seats except Ramgarh, where an announcement is expected shortly.
The last date for filing nomination papers is October 25, with polling scheduled for November 13 and counting of votes on November 23.
