Deputy CM among three BJP nominees for Bihar LC polls

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi and Health Minister Mangal Pandey are among the three candidates whose names were announced for the Bihar Legislative Council polls by the ruling BJP on Sunday.

Sanjay Paswan, a former Union Minister and Dalit face of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Bihar, is its third candidate.

The opposition Congress -- part of the Rashtriya Janata Dal-led Grand Alliance along with Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) -- also announced the name of Prem Chandra Mishra.

The Election Commission has announced April 26 as the polling date for the biennial elections to 11 Legislative Council seats that will fall vacant on May 6.

BJP ally Janata Dal-United is yet to formally announce the names of three candidates.

JD-U sources said that party President and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will file the nomination on Monday, the last date for filing of papers along with two other candidates.

Last week, the RJD announced the names of former Chief Minister Rabri Devi, Santosh Manjhi, son of another former Chief Minister and HAM chief Jitan Ram Manjhi, RJD state President Ram Chander Purve and Mohsin Qadir.

While the terms of 10 sitting members will end on May 6, one seat fell vacant when Narendra Singh was disqualified on January 6, 2016, ahead of the end of his term on May 6, 2018.

Nitish Kumar, Sushil Kumar Modi, Rabri Devi and Mangal Pandey are among those whose terms will end on May 6.

--IANS

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