Jharkhand's ruling AJSU party announces first list

Jharkhand's ruling NDA constituent, the AJSU party, on Monday announced the first list of 12 candidates.

Party president Sudesh Kumar Mahto was re-nominated to contest from Silli assembly constituency. Mahto had lost the seat in 2014 assembly polls.

The party also named Jharkhand Water Resources Minister Ramchandra Sahis to contest from Jugsalai, a party release issued here said.

The AJSU party also nominated Kushwaha Shiv Pujan Mehta, who won the Hussainabad seat on Bahujan Samaj Party ticket in 2014 assembly elections and recently joined the AJSU party, from the same constituency.

Former minister Umakant Razzak has been re-nominated to contest from Chandankiyari, which he lost in the last polls.

Niru Shanti Bhagat, who has been re-nominated from Lohardaga, is the wife of party leader Kamal Kishore Bhagat, who won the seat in 2014, but was disqualified after his conviction in a case.

In the subsequent bypoll held in December 2015, Sukhdeo Bhagat, contesting on Congress ticket defeated Niru Shanti Bhagat.

Sukhdeo Bhagat, who held the post of Jharkhand PCC president, joined the BJP last month, apparently with the hope of getting Lohardaga seat.

Lohardaga is not in the BJP's first list of 52 candidates announced on Sunday.

The five-phase election to the Jharkhand assembly is beginning on November 30 and the last phase will be held on December 20.

Counting will be taken up on December 23.