MP Polls: JD(U) Announces Candidates In 5 Seats

The JD(U) announced candidates in five seats for the assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, where its ally Congress is trying to wrest power from the BJP.

According to a statement issued by JD(U) national general secretary Afaq Ahmed Khan on Tuesday, this is the party's first list of candidates for Madhya Pradesh, where voting will take place for the 230-member assembly on November 17.

The five candidates are Chandra Pal Yadav (Pichhor), Ram Kunwar Raikwar (Rajnagar), Shiv Narayan Soni (Vijay Raghavgarh), Tol Singh Bhuria (Thandla) and Rameshwar Singla (Petalawad).

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the JD(U) supremo, had dumped the BJP a year ago when he joined the 'Mahagathbandhan' comprising arch-rival Lalu Prasad's RJD, Congress and the Left, and vowed to defeat the NDA in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls by forging a nationwide opposition unity. His efforts played a significant role in the formation of the multi-party INDIA coalition.

Kumar's party is the third constituent of the alliance, after Congress and Samajwadi Party, to throw the hat in the ring for Madhya Pradesh where the BJP has been in power for two decades except for a 15-month-long period when Congress leader Kamal Nath ran his government.