LJP releases second list of Bihar candidates

The Lok Janashakti Party on Monday released its second list of nine candidates for the Bihar assembly elections.

The candidates included one for the Chakai assembly constituency represented by Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) leader Narendra Singh's son Sumit Kumar Singh.

The names were announced after a meeting of the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) parliamentary board by its chairman and Lok Sabha member from Jamui Chirag Paswan.

HAM president Jitan Ram Manjhi has been demanding the Chakai seat for Sumit Kumar Singh, who is the incumbent legislator.

The LJP has fielded Vijay Singh from Chakai, whereas Kanhaiya Singh, a brother of LJP vice president Surajbhan, has been fielded from Mokama.

The party fielded Arvind Kumar Singh from Bachhwara, Neeraj Mandal from Kahalgaon, Mithilesh Kumar Nishad from Beldaur, Vijay Singh from Chakai, Mohammad Aslam from Sabehpur Kamal, Chandreswar Rai Yadav from Warsinagar, Arvind Singh from Atri and Kali Pandey from Kuchaighat.

The LJP released its first list of 12 candidates on Friday that included three family members of party chief and union minister Ram Vilas Paswan.

Among the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partners, the BJP will contest in 160 constituencies, the LJP in 40, the HAM in 20 and the Rashtriya Lok Samata Party in 23.

Bihar will hold five-phase elections between October 12 and November 5 to elect the 243-member assembly. Counting of votes will take place on November 8.