Non-matriculates, PhD holders among new MPs in Bihar

Non-matriculates, PhD holders, doctors and engineers, Bihar has sent people from different educational background to the 17th Lok Sabha.

Ajay Mandal and Mahabali Singh, the two JD (U) MPs from Bhagalpur and Karakat, respectively, did not finish school, while those who have cleared their Class 10 board examinations include Baidyanath Mahto (Valmiki Nagar), Ramprit Mandal (Jhanjharpur) and Chandeshwar Prasad Chandravanshi (Jehanabad).

Others who did not pursue education after school are BJP lawmakers Veena Devi (Vaishali) and Pradip Kumar Singh (Araria) and Lok Janshakti Party's Ram Chandra Paswan (Samastipur).

Kaushalendra Kumar, Vijay Manjhi and Santosh Kushwaha, JD (U) MPs from Nalanda, Gaya and Purnea, respectively, have studied till intermediate and so has LJP's Chirag Paswan. Paswan has retained his Jamui (SC) seat.

At the other end of the spectrum are the highly qualified ones such as BJP's first time MP from Madhubani, Ashok Yadav, who is a PhD holder, JD (U)'s Dinesh Chandra Yadav, who has won from Madhepura, holds a diploma in civil engineering, and Alok Kumar Suman, who bagged the Gopalganj reserved seat, is a doctor by profession.

Sanjay Jaiswal, BJP MP from Pashchim Champaran and Congress MP from Kishanganj, Mohd Javed, have degrees in medicine. Javed is the only non-NDA candidate to have won his seat in Bihar.

Ravi Shankar Prasad (Patna Sahib), Ram Kripal Yadav (Pataliputra), Rajiv Pratap Rudy (Saran) and RK Singh (Arrah) - all of them from the BJP - are law graduates.

BJP MPs Gopaljee Thakur (Darbhanga), Sushil Kumar Singh (Aurangabad) and Chhedi Paswan (Sasaram) are post- graduates and so are JD (U)'s Kavita Singh (Siwan) and Giridhari Yadav (Banka).

Winning candidates from all the remaining seats in the state are graduates.

Of the 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar, the NDA comprising BJP, JD (U) and LJP had won 39, while Congress bagged one.