Patna, March 24 (IANS) Union Ministers R.K. Singh, Giriraj Singh, and Nityanand Rai and former Union Ministers Ravi Shankar Prasad and Rajiv Pratap Rudy are among the candidates of the BJP from Bihar, as per the fifth list announced on Sunday, while some sitting MPs have been dropped.

Former Union Minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey was not given the ticket from Buxar, and similarly, the party has dropped Ajay Nishad from Muzaffarpur.

Mithilesh Tiwari will contest from Buxar and Raj Bhushan Nishad from Muzaffarpur.

The party has also given the ticket to Vivek Thakur, a Rajya Sabha MP and son of former Union Minister, Dr C.P. Thakur to contest from Nawada.

The BJP has fielded former minister Prasad again from Patna Sahib, while R.K. Singh will contest from Arrah Giriraj Singh from Begusarai, and Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai from Ujiarpur.

Besides them, the party has fielded Ram Kripal Yadav from Pataliputra, Shivesh Ram from Sasaram (SC), Rudy from Saran, Gopal Jee Thakur from Darbhanga, former state President Sanjay Jaiswal from Paschim Champaran, and Radha Mohan Singh from Purvi Champaran,

Ashok Kumar Yadav will contest from Araria, Pradeep Kumar Singh from Madhubani and Janardan Singh Sigriwal from Maharajganj.

The BJP is contesting 17 seats out of the total 40 in Bihar.

Earlier in the day, the JD-U, which is contesting 16 seats in Bihar, announced the names of its candidates.