RJD announces Bihar candidates

tna/kolkata March 24, 2009, 0:55 IST

The process of fusion and fission in the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) continued unabated today with Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad declaring his candidates, in alliance with the Lok Janashakti Party (LJP) headed by Ramvilas Paswan, for all 40 constituencies from Bihar.

The RJD will also contest the three seats held by Congress MPs in the state.

However, in the neighbouring West Bengal, the Congress got a shot in the arm as Trinamool Congress (TC) chief Mamata Banerjee declared her party would not support a Third Front government or one led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre after the Lok Sabha elections. Trinamool has an alliance with the Congress in West Bengal.

“We support a secular government which will be headed by an able prime minister. We are categorically making it clear that we will not support any Third Front government or a BJP-led government,” Banerjee told a press conference today during the release of the manifesto of her party.

Asked what the Trinamool Congress would do if the Congress sought support of the Left parties, she said her party had entered into an alliance on the assurance that the Congress would not seek support of the Left. What it gained in West Bengal, the Congress lost in Bihar.

Lalu Prasad hit back at the Congress with a vengeance, announcing he himself would contest the Saran seat, currently held by the Congress ensuring the Congress will lose the seat.

The RJD’s list includes Union Ministers Taslimuddin (Kishanganj), Raghuvansh Prasad Singh (Vaishali), Akhilesh Prasad Singh (Purvi Champaran), Jai Prakash Narayan Yadav (Bbanka), Kanti Singh (Karakat), Raghunath Jha (Valmikinagar) and M A A Fatmi (Darbhanga).

Prasad fielded Lalan Paswan, who resigned as JD(U) member in the state assembly and switched over to RJD yesterday, against Union Minister and Congress nominee Meira Kumar from Sasaram (SC). Similarly, State President Abdul Bari Siddiqui would be contesting against Union Minister of State for Home and Congress candidate Shakeel Ahmed in Madhubani. RJD’s spokesman and MLA Shakeel Ahmed Khan would take on sitting Congress MP and retired IPS officer Nikhil Kumar from Aurangabad, Prasad added. Other sitting RJD Lok Sabha members whose names figured in the list of candidates include Sitaram Singh (Sheohar), Sitaram Singh (Sitamarhi), Devendra Prasad Yadav (Jhanjharpur), Alok Kumar Mehta (Ujiarpur), R K Rana (Khagaria), Ramjee Manjhi (Gaya), Anil Kumar (Gopalganj SC), Shakuni Choudhary (Bhagalpur), Shyam Rajak (Jamui SC), Surendra Prasad Yadav (Jehanabad), Jagdanand Singh (Buxar)and Ram Badan Rai (Munger).

Significantly, Hina Shahab, wife of controversial RJD leader Mohammed Shahabuddin, facing life imprisonment in some criminal cases, was allotted a party ticket from Siwan. Lalu Prasad kept pending declaration of name of candidates for Patna Sahib, the seat presently held by RJD secretary general Ramkripal Yadav, and Madhepura, currently held by Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav, convicted in a case relating to killing of a CPI-M MLA Ajit Sarkar in Purnia. Pappu Yadav is on bail now.

Immediately after releasing the RJD list of approved candidates, Lalu Prasad left without taking any questions.

“Yahin hamara list hai, aap chhap dijiye (this is the list, please publish it),” he said while leaving the venue along with Union Ministers Akhilesh Prasad Singh and Jai Prakash Narayan Yadav.