The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) on Monday announced its list of 143 candidates for the Bihar assembly polls, at least four of whom would end up contesting against nominees of the other INDIA bloc constituents.The list was released hours before the filing of nomination papers for the second and final phase was to be over.
It put paid to rumours that the RJD was going to contest the Kutumba seat, currently held by state Congress president Rajesh Kumar Ram, which would have led to a full-blown face-off between the two allies.
Nonetheless, the party would end up contesting against the Congress in Vaishali, Lalganj and Kahalgaon, and against former state minister Mukesh Sahniās Vikassheel Insan Party in Tarapur.
Earlier, the RJD had given the party symbol to Afzal Ali from Gaura Bauram, but the same has been withdrawn by party supremo Lalu Prasad, in favour of Santosh Sahni, the VIPās national president who is the younger brother of its founder.
However, Afzal has filed his nomination papers and did not withdraw the same, prompting Prasad to write to the Chief Electoral Officer that his candidature ānot be taken into considerationā.
RJD sources said while the cadre was likely to back Sahni in the polls, there would remain plenty of room for confusion as Afzal could campaign using the party symbol.
Notable among the candidates are Tejashwi Yadav (Raghopur), Alok Mehta (Ujiyarpur), Mukesh Raushan (Mahua) and Akhtarul Islam Shahin (Samastipur), all of whom will be defending their sitting seats.
RJD president Lalu Prasadās personal aide Bhola Yadav, who had also won the Bahadurpur seat in 2015, but dropped five years later when the party lost the constituency to Chief Minister Nitish Kumarās JD(U), will try to wrest it back from minister Madan Sahni.