82 candidates left in fray for 5th phase polling in Bihar

A total 82 candidates are left in the fray Monday in five Bihar Lok Sabha seats that will go to the polls in the fifth phase on May 6, a senior election official said.

Monday was the last date for withdrawal of candidature for constituencies which will go to polls in the fifth phase.

Additional chief electoral officer Sanjay Kumar Singh said that four candidates - three from Madhubani and one from Sitamarhi withdrew their nominations on the last date.

After the withdrawal of candidature, 20 contestants are left in the poll fray in Sitamarhi, 17 in Madhubani, 22 in Muzaffarpur, 12 in Saran and 11 in Hajipur, Singh said.

Former union minister Mohd Ali Ashraf Fatmi, who recently quit the RJD and entered the fray from Madhubani Lok Sabha seat on a BSP ticket, were amnong the three candidates who with withdrew their papers.

He said, 44 nomination papers were filed Monday for the sixth phase of polling on May 12 in eight seats of Valmikinagar, East Champaran, West Champaran, Sheohar, Vaishali, Siwan, Maharajganj and Gopalganj, he said.

Prominent among those who filed nomiantion papers during the day are RJDs Hina Shahab, wife of controversial party leader Mohammad Shahabuddin, from Siwan, BJPs Janardan Singh Sigriwal from Maharajganj and RJDs Surendra Ram from Gopalganj.

Meanwhile, nine nominations were filed during the day for the seventh and last phase of polling on May 19 began today. Eight Bihar Lok Sabha seats - Nalanda, Patna Sahib, Patliputra, Ara, Buxar, Jehanabad, Sasaram and Karakat would go to polls that day.