Daijiworld Media Network - Patna

Patna, Oct 15: The Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (United) on Wednesday unveiled its first list of 57 candidates for the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, a day after its ally, the BJP, released its candidates. Five current ministers have retained their seats, while three strongmen, including Anant Kumar Singh, also feature in the list. Four women candidates have been fielded.

The five ministers named are Rural Development Minister Shravan Kumar (Nalanda), Water Resources Minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary (Sarairanjan), Information and Public Relations Minister Maheshwar Hazari (Kalyanpur), Social Welfare Minister Madan Sahni (Bahadurpur), and Prohibition Minister Ratnesh Sada (Sonbarsa).

The JDU and BJP are contesting 101 seats each in the 243-member Bihar Assembly, with the remaining seats divided among Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustani Awam Morcha, and Upendra Kushwaha’s Rashtriya Lok Morcha. Sources indicate friction over five key constituencies—Morwa, Sonbarsa, Rajgir, Gaighat, and Matihani—which both JDU and Lok Janshakti Party were keen on. Nitish Kumar reportedly insisted that these seats remain with the JDU.

The four women candidates in the first list include Kavita Saha (Madhepura), Komal Singh (Gaighat), Ashwamedh Devi (Samastipur), and Raveena Kushwaha (Vibhutipur). Out of the 57 candidates, 30 are fresh faces, while 27 are repeat contenders.