Patna:
In the first phase of the Bihar elections on Thursday, the Congress and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) are contesting all 47 seats. The ruling JD(U) will be contesting 26 seats and its ally Bharatiya Janata Party in 21 seats. (
Phase I details) | (
Poll Schedule)
The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) is contesting 31 seats and its ally Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) 16 seats, while the Communist Party of India(Marxist) has put up candidates at seven seats. Communist Party of India has put up candidates in 11 seats, CPI(ML) in 17 and Nationalist Congress Party in 33 seats. (
Map: Bihar Assembly Polls 2010)
Around 1.07 crore, including 50.2 lakh women and 3829 service voters, are eligible to exercise their franchise at 10,454 polling centres spread over the constituencies where the commission has plans to use 11968 (CU) and 13760 (BU) Electronic Voting Machines. (
Previous Vidhan Sabha details)
Multi-cornered contests are lined up in all 47 Assembly segments of Saharsa, Madhepura, Madhubani, Supaul, Purnia, Araria, Katihar and Kishanganj districts.
Prominent among the 631, including 52 women, contestants are senior Janata Dal (United) ministers, Vijendra Prasad Yadav, Narendra Narain Yadav, Congress nominee Ranjeet Ranjan, wife of incarcerated former MP Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav, State Congress chief Choudhary Mehboob Ali Kaiser and Congress candidate Lovely Anand. (
Key issues) | (
Key contests)
Lovely is the wife of former MP Anand Mohan Singh. Anand Mohan was convicted and awarded the death penalty for inciting a mob that lynched Gopalganj district magistrate G. Krishnaiyah in 1994. His sentence was reduced to life imprisonment by the Patna High Court. She faces the suave Janata Dal-United (JD-U) nominee Narendra Narayan Yadav, known for his clean image. Yadav is the land reforms minister in Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's government.
Ranjeet Ranjan, wife of former MP and murder convict Pappu Yadav, is also fighting a tough battle in Bihariganj constituency in Madhepura district. She is up against Renu Kumari Kushwaha, known to be close to Nitish Kumar, who has been camping in Madhepura to campaign in the Kosi river belt.
(With PTI inputs)