Bihar polls: NDA candidates to be announced today, says Dilip Jaiswal

Patna, Oct 13 (IANS) After the announcement of the seat-sharing formula for the Bihar Assembly elections, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) constituents will declare the names of contesting candidates on Monday evening, said Bihar BJP president Dilip Jaiswal.

Speaking to the reporters in Patna, Jaiswal said, "I have been saying for a long time that all the NDA allies will face the elections with rock-solid unity. We are the first to announce seat-sharing, and from this evening, we will begin announcing the names of candidates who will enter the Bihar electoral battlefield."

The BJP leader, when questioned about the resentment within the alliance over the seat-sharing arrangement, said that all NDA constituents are raring for the high-stakes poll battle, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Earlier, HAM chief Jitan Ram Manjhi also said that the NDA was heading into elections, united and unified, under the visionary leadership of PM Modi.

BJP leader and Deputy CM Vijay Kumar Sinha said that NDA has successfully made a decision, based on consensus in the interest of the people of Bihar, and it will emerge successful in the ensuing polls.

“It will also form the government with a huge majority and accelerate Bihar's development,” he told scribes.

Notably, the NDA announced seat sharing for the Bihar Assembly elections on Sunday. BJP and Nitish-Kumar-led Janata Dal(U) are set to field candidates on 101 seats each, while Chirag Paswan's LJP (Ram Vilas) party will fight on 29 seats. Jitan Ram Manjhi-led Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) and Upendra Kushwaha-led Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) have been allocated six seats each.

The first phase of the Bihar Assembly elections will be held on November 6 and the second on November 11. Counting of votes will take place on November 14.

--IANS

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