Battle for poll-bound Bihar intensifies

With just one day left for filing of nominations to commence, the fledgling party floated by former political strategist Prashant Kishor claimed to have stolen a march over NDA and INDIA bloc, the two main competitors, both of which were still busy thrashing out a seat-sharing deal

- PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

The battle for poll-bound Bihar intensified Thursday when the Congress came out with a “charge-sheet” against the ruling NDA, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav made a fresh, alluring promise of government jobs, and the Jan Suraaj Party released its first list of candidates.

With just one day left for filing of nominations to commence, the fledgling party floated by former political strategist Prashant Kishor claimed to have stolen a march over NDA and INDIA bloc, the two main competitors, both of which were still busy thrashing out a seat-sharing deal.

Releasing a list of 51 candidates, one of them a transgender from a reserved constituency, the party’s national president Uday Singh said “the next list will be out in a day or two” but did not reveal whether the party's feted founder will himself enter the fray.

Kishor had said that if he contested, his seat would be either his birthplace of Kargahar, from where the party has given ticket to Bhojpuri singer Ritesh Pandey, or Raghopur, the pocketborough of Tejashwi Yadav, for which candidate was yet to be announced.