BJP to contest 9 seats in Bihar bypolls, leaves one for LJP

, July 31: The BJP-led NDA on Thursday announced seat-sharing for ten Assembly bye-elections in

where the party will contest nine seats, leaving one for its ally LJP. BJP has left Parbatta Assembly seat in Khagaria district for Ramvilas Paswan's party and announced its candidates for nine seats which would go to the polls on August 21.

[Read: Lalu & Nitish, Mamata & Left come closer: The Modi effect]

Rashtriya Lok Samata Party of Union Minister Upendra Kushwaha, an ally of the BJP, drew a blank. JD(U), RJD and Congress yesterday officially announced their alliance and seat-sharing arrangements as part of which JD(U) and RJD would contest four seats each while Congress got two seats.

According to the list for Bihar made available by the party office here, Rashmi Verma will contest from Narkatiaganj, Rampreet Paswan (Rajnagar, SC), Ramnivas Prasad (Jale), Kanhaiya Singh (Chapra), Avdhesh Kumar (Hajipur), Rajesh Singh (Mohiuddinnagar), Nabhay Choudhary (Bhagalpur), Ramnarayan Mandal (Banka) and Niranjan Ram (Mohania, SC).

The BJP scored an ace against rival JD(U) by giving ticket to Rashmi Verma, kin of the country's first President Dr Rajendra Prasad, from Narkatiaganj in West Champaran district. Verma had joined the JD(U) a month ago hoping to contest on a party ticket, but the seat went to Congress. Meanwhile, senior BJP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi, who returned to Patna today from Delhi, dismissed the JD(U)-RJD-Congress alliance.

"Whosoever will ride on the boat of Lalu Prasad is sure to sink," Sushil Modi told PTI criticising Nitish Kumar. "The three had a tacit understanding in the recent Lok Sabha elections too and were thoroughly rejected by the people... they will meet same fate again in the bye-election," he added.

PTI