The Janata Dal (United) has fielded a former IAS officer, K.P. Ramaiyya, in the Sasaram reserved constituency, currently held by Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar. The BJP has fielded Sanjay Paswan.
Declaring the party’s first list of 15 candidates from five States here on Saturday, JD(U) president Sharad Yadav indicated that he would stick to his seat in Madhepura.
In Jamui (reserved), Bihar Assembly Speaker Udai Narayan Chowdhary will take on Ram Vilas Paswan’s son Chirag Paswan of the Lok Jan Shakti Party and Sudhanshu Shekhar Bhaskar of the RJD.
JD(U) Minister Jeetan Ram Majhi has been fielded in Gaya (reserved) and Mahabali Singh re-nominated in Karakat.
Baagi Kumar Verma has been nominated in Aurangabad, where the Congress has fielded the former Kerala Governor, Nikhil Kumar, who resigned the post recently to contest the elections. Kaushal Yadav, son of a Minister, has been fielded in Nawada.
The party has fielded its Jharkhand State president Jaleshwar Mahato in Giridih and two-time MLA Mahesh Yadav in Chatra.
The JD(U) also declared candidates for four seats in Gujarat and one each in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
The ruling party in Bihar, which is contesting 38 of the 40 parliamentary seats in the State, has decided to leave Begusarai and Banka for its alliance partner, the CPI.
Answering questions, Mr. Yadav said people joining the BJP and the Aam Aadmi Party were “only migratory birds” and, after the elections, they would come back to their original parties.
His party would soon come out with a manifesto based on “ground realities,” he said.
