LJP plays safe, withdraws candidate from Chakai seat

The Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) on Monday withdrew its candidate from the Chakai seat to avoid friction within the NDA ahead of the Bihar Assembly polls.

Declaring the second list of candidates for the Bihar polls, LJP parliamentary board Chairman Chirag Paswan said that his party wanted to contest on both seats but it compromised in order to avoid infighting within the NDA.

"We wanted both the seats but there are certain problems of the parties of the grand alliance. Our mission is to form a strong NDA Government. If we create problem then all the parties in alliance will have to bear its responsibility," Paswan told the media here.

"We decided that a candidate from HAM party will fight the election from Jamui- Chakai seat and Vijay Singh from Lok Janshakti Party will fight election for another seat," he added.

Hindusthani Awam Morcha (HAM) chief Jitan Ram Manjhi had sought Chakai Assembly seat for HAM (S) leader Narendra Singh's son Sumit Kumar Singh, the sitting MLA from Chakai for which LJP had also staked its claim given that it falls under Lok Sabha constituency of Chirag Paswan, an MP from Jamui.

Polls to the 243-member Bihar Assembly will be held in five phases starting on October 12 and ending on November 5. Counting of votes will take place on November 8.