Congress names 5 candidates for Bihar Council polls, takes on RJD in 3 seats

The Congress on Thursday announced five candidates for the October 23 Bihar Legislative Council polls, setting up direct contests with alliance partner Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) in three seats.

The party has fielded candidates for two teachers’ constituencies and three graduates’ constituencies.

Polling will be held for eight seats in the Upper House of the Bihar legislature. The terms of four graduates’ seats and four teachers’ seats are set to end on November 16.

According to the list approved by Congress general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal on Thursday evening, former state president Madan Mohan Jha has been fielded for re-election from the Darbhanga Teachers’ constituency. The RJD has not announced a candidate for the seat.

The Congress has also fielded Sanjay Yadav from the Patna Teachers’ constituency, where the RJD has not announced a candidate either.

However, the Congress has named Manoj Kumar Jaiswal, Rajnikant Pathak and Asadullah Khan for the Kosi Graduates’, Darbhanga Graduates’ and Patna Graduates’ constituencies respectively. The RJD is also contesting all three seats.

The RJD had announced candidates for six seats last month, saying that a decision on the remaining seats was pending.

With the Congress now naming five candidates, the Bihar Legislative Council polls will see direct contests between the two alliance partners in three graduates’ constituencies, while the two teachers’ seats announced by the Congress are not being contested by the RJD.

In graduates’ constituencies, voters must hold a graduate degree from a recognised university in India for at least three years and be ordinarily resident in the constituency concerned.

In teachers’ constituencies, voters must have at least three years of teaching experience in secondary schools, colleges or universities. In both cases, voters must be enrolled on the electoral rolls prepared for the elections.