Filing of nomination papers ended on Monday for by-elections to one Lok Sabha seat and five assembly constituencies in Bihar with a total of 55 candidates entering into the fray for the six seats.
The seats have fallen vacant upon the death of sitting Samastipur MP Ram Chandra Paswan and election of JD(U) MLAs from Daraunda, Belhar, Simari Bakhtiarpur and Nathnagar and the Congress legislator from Kishanganj to the Lok Sabha.
Prince Raj filed his nomination papers on the LJP ticket from Samastipur (reserved) seat which he would seek to retain for the party which his father younger brother of party chief and Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan had won for the second consecutive term in the general elections.
His principal challenger is Ashok Ram of the Congress, who had finished the runner-up in the general elections this year as well as the one held in 2014.
The BJP has thrown his hat in the ring from Kishanganj, a Muslim dominated seat falling under the Lok Sabha constituency of the same name.
The party has reposed its trust in Sweeti Singh, a 37- year-old who had finished the runner-up in the 2015 assembly polls.
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The Congress has placed its bets on 72-year-old Sayeeda Banu whose son Mohd Jawed won the seat for the party in the assembly polls and vacated it upon being elected to the Lok Sabha.
Grand Alliance partners seem to be heading for a fight among themselves in Nathnagar and Simari Bakhtiarpur where candidates have been fielded by Jitan Ram Manjhis HAM and Mukesh Sahnis VIP respectively despite Lalu Prasads RJD
which heads the five-party coalition having entered the fray.
Nathnagar has fallen vacant upon JD(U) MLA Vijay Mandals election to the Lok Sabha from Bhagalpur and the party has now fielded from the seat Laxmkant Mandal. While HAM has fielded Ajay Rai, whose candidature was announced by Manjhi last week, the RJD has given its ticket to Rabia Khatoon.
Simari Bakhtiarpur, where by-election has been necessitated by MLA and former minister Dinesh Chandra Yadavs victory from Madhepura Lok Sabha seat, may witness a triangular contest between JD(U)s Arun Kumar, VIPs Dinesh Kumar Nishad and RJDs Zafar Alam.
In Daraunda, JD(U) headed by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar
seems to have given by persistent demands from Ajay Singh who has been given the ticket for the seat vacated upon his wife Kavita Singhs successful Lok Sabha debut from Siwan. Notably, Singh had sought the party ticket after his mother and the sitting Daraunda MLA Jagmato Devi died in 2011.
When Kumar turned down his request citing his criminal antecedents, Singh hurriedly tied the knot, defying the tradition of avoiding auspicious ceremonies during "Pitri Paksh" season, and his wife retained the seat for the family in the ensuing by-election and did so again in 2015.
The RJD has given the party ticket to Umesh Kumar Singh. Ultra-left outfit CPI(ML), which has a notable presence in Siwan district, has fielded Uma Shankar Pandit even as CPIs Bharat Singh has also thrown his hat in the ring.
In Belhar, the JD(U) seeks to retain the seat won in 2015 by Giridhari Yadav currently the Banka MP by giving ticket to his brother Laldhari Yadav. The JD(U) is expected to be locked in a straight contest with the RJD which has fielded Ramdev Yadav.
Scrutiny of nomination papers will take place on Tuesday while the last date for withdrawal of the same is Thursday, October 03.
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