The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has officially revealed its candidates for 22 out of 23 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar, where the party is part of the opposition Mahagathbandhan. The party, led by president Lalu Prasad, has put forward a diverse list of candidates, including his daughters – Rohini Acharya and Misa Bharti.
Rohini Acharya, daughter of Lalu Prasad, is set to contest from the Saran constituency, a seat her father held multiple times in the past. Lalu Prasad represented Saran until his disqualification in 2013 due to his conviction in a fodder scam. His eldest daughter, Misa Bharti, currently serving her second term in the Rajya Sabha, will be vying for the Patliputra Lok Sabha constituency.
The RJD’s list of candidates also includes Sudhakar Singh from Buxar, Ali Asharaf Fatmi from Madhubani, and Surendra Prasad from Jehanabad. Anita Kumari Mahto, who recently married a convicted gangster, Ashok Mahto, has also been nominated by the RJD to contest from Munger. Ashok Mahto’s conviction prevented Anita from contesting independently, leading to her inclusion in the RJD’s list.
Names such as Kumar Sarvjeet from Gaya, Shrawan Kumar Kushwaha from Nawada, Bima Bharti from Purnea, and Archana Ravidass from Jamui are also on the RJD’s candidate roster. Additionally, Jai Prakash Yadava will represent Banka, Lalit Yadav from Darbhanga, and Chandrahas Chaupal from Supaul for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Bihar.
The RJD, as part of the Mahagathbandhan alliance, has kept 26 out of Bihar’s 40 Lok Sabha seats for itself, with nine seats allocated to the Congress and five to the Left parties. Last week, the RJD reached an agreement with former Bihar minister Mukesh Sahni’s Vikashsheel Insaan Party, granting them three seats from the RJD’s quota.
Candidates like Rohini Acharya, Misa Bharti, Sudhakar Singh, Ali Asharaf Fatmi, and Surendra Prasad had their nominations confirmed by Lalu Prasad earlier. Others in the RJD’s lineup include Vijay Kumar Shukla from Vaishali, Abhay Kumar Kushwaha from Aurangabad, Shichandra Rai from Hajipur, and Shahnawaz Alam from Araria.
Alok Kumar Mehta will contest from Ujiyarpur, Arjun Ai from Sitamarhi, Deepak Yadav from Valmikinagar, Ritu Jaiswal from Seohar, and Kumar Chandradeep from Madhepura round out the list of RJD candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
The Lok Sabha elections in Bihar are scheduled to be held in seven phases between April 19 and June 1. This announcement by the RJD marks a significant step as Bihar gears up for the crucial electoral battle.
