Bihar polls: BJP fields two candidates against former ally LJP for first phase

PATNA: The BJP late Tuesday evening released its first list of 27 candidates for the first phase of Bihar polls.

Prominent names on the list are Commonwealth shooting gold medalist Shreyasi Singh, who joined the party on Sunday, from Jamui, and former MP Hari Manjhi from Bodh Gaya.

Interestingly, while the LJP, which has announced not to put up candidates against BJP, the saffron party snubbed the Chirag Paswan-led party and has fielded candidates against sitting LJP legislators from Govindganj seat in East Champaran and Lalganj in Vaishali district.

Raju Tiwari, the state president of LJP, is the sitting MLA from Govindganj.

Sources said a majority of 121 seats that fell in BJP’s kitty under the deal with JD-U are dominated by SC and EBC voters while most of the 122 seats that have gone to the JD-U have sizeable minority population.

Irked at the Kaimur seat of JD-U going to the BJP, district president of JD-U Pramod Kumar Singh threatened to work for the defeat of all four BJP candidates in the district.