Chirag Paswan says 'voting for JDU means destroying Bihar' as LJP releases first poll list

Lok Janshakti Party on Thursday named its 42 candidates for upcoming Bihar assembly elections with some BJP turncoats figuring in list. This comes on day of sudden demise of LJP founder and Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan. Chirag Paswan had earlier anunced that his party will go solo in state polls due to differences with Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, while NDA has anunced Nitish as ir CM face.  LJP has anunced that it will fight from seats where JD(U) is also contesting and that it will t take on BJP.

What is significant is that Chirag Paswan while releasing first list of candidates again gave a call to defeat JD(U), claiming that a vote for state’s ruling party will amount to “destroying” Bihar. All se 42 seats are among 71 constituencies going to polls in first phase on October 28, LJP said.

LJP has fielded Rajendra Singh and Usha Vidyarthi, two senior Bihar BJP leaders who joined it recently, from Dinara and Paliganj respectively. LJP sources said party had given preference to upper caste and Dalit minees in its choice of candidates.

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Ram Vilas Paswan passes away

Union Consumer Affairs Minister and LJP founder Ram Vilas Paswan passed away at a hospital in national capital on Thursday. His son and LJP national president Chirag Paswan made this anuncement on Twitter. Since last few weeks, veteran political leader hailing from Bihar had been hospitalised. He underwent heart surgery on October 4. This sudden development comes ahead of Bihar Assembly polls wherein LJP decided to go solo, citing ideological differences with JD(U). He was currently a member of Rajya Sabha after winning election upposed on June 28, 2019.  

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Bihar Assembly elections 2020

Bihar goes to polls in three phases for its 243 assembly seats on October 28, vember 3 and vember 7. Keeping in view COVID-19 protocol, voting time has been increased by one hour. counting of votes will take place on vember 10.

NDA has anunced its seat-sharing formula: BJP will contest 121 seats and JD(U) will contest 115, while Jitan Ram Manjhi's HAM will contest 7 seats. VIP party will be incorporated in BJP's seats. Mahgathbandhan has anunced Tejashwi Yadav as its CM face, and RJD-Congress has agreed on a 144-70 seat-sharing formula along with three or Communist parties contesting on 29 seats. re are three or alliances also that will contest elections this year namely Progressive Democratic Alliance (PDA) - JAP, ASP, SDP, and BMP,  United Democratic Secular Alliance (UDSA) - AIMIM-SJD and BSP-RLSP

In 2015 state polls, Mahagatbandhan comprising RJD, JD(U) and Congress won a whopping majority with 178 seats under leadership of Nitish Kumar. On or hand,  BJP-led alliance won from only 58 constituencies. On July 26, 2017, Nitish Kumar stepped down as CM citing irreconcilable differences with RJD over corruption allegations against Tejashwi Yadav and joined hands with its former ally BJP.

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