JD(U) finalises list of Bihar poll candidates, may drop 4 sitting MLAs

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Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United) has finalised its candidates for "all the seats" it will be contesting in the upcoming assembly polls and may drop four sitting MLAs, a senior party leader said.

The senior JD(U) leader, on condition of anonymity, said that the party was likely to contest 103 of the 243 seats in the state assembly, though a formal announcement will be made "at an appropriate time" by senior leaders of the NDA.

"The seats which we would be contesting have been identified. Respective candidates have also been finalised. Four non-performing sitting MLAs will be replaced with fresh faces. A new candidate will also be fielded in Parbatta seat in Khagaria where our MLA Sanjeev Kumar last week crossed over to the RJD. The same will happen in Rupauli assembly constituency, where our multiple-term former MLA Bima Bharti has sided with the opposition parties," the JD(U) leader said.

Assembly seats where four non-performing MLAs will be replaced come under Bhagalpur, Nawada and Banka districts, the leader said.

"A decision in this regard has been taken on the basis of the feedback received from the electorate of their respective constituencies. Our central leadership had already made it clear that non-performing MLAs will not be repeated in the coming polls," the leader said.

According to sources, BJP will contest 102 seats in the upcoming assembly polls.

Union minister Chirag Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), which had earlier settled for around 20-22 seats, is now asking for more seats. Other NDA partners -- Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) and Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) -- will also get a respectable number of seats, they added.

Union minister Jitan Ram Manjhi had earlier said that he was "requesting and not making a claim" that HAM be given a respectable number of seats, otherwise the party might not contest the election.

"Everything is fine in the NDA... seat-sharing arrangements and list of candidates will be decided by the party's central leadership in a day or two. A formal announcement in this regard will be made very soon," a BJP leader said.

Assembly elections will be held on November 6 and 11 in the state, while votes will be counted on November 14.