PATNA: Altogether 20 candidates filed nominations till Friday for three teachers’ and two graduates’ constituencies of the Bihar legislative council which are going to the polls on March 31.
Altogether seven candidates have so far filed their nominations from Saran Graduates’ seat, two (Gaya Graduates’), two (Gaya teachers’), six (Saran Teachers’) and three from Kosi Teachers’ seat. March 13 is the last date for making nominations.
Prominent candidates who filed their nominations on Friday were former council chairman Awadesh Narain Singh (BJP) from Gaya Graduates’ constituency, JD(U) outgoing MLC Virendra Narayan Yadav from Saran Graduates’s constituency, JD(U)’s Sanjeev Kumar Singh from Kosi Teachers’ constituency and CPI’s Anand Pushkar from Saran Teachers’ constituency.
Earlier in the day, both the NDA and the Mahagathbandhan camps announced the names of their respective candidates for the five seats.
As per the announcement made by the Mahagathbandhan leaders led by JD-U state president Umesh Kushwaha, the outgoing JD(U) MLC Virendra Narayan Yadav will contest from Saran Graduates, outgoing JD(U) MLC Sanjeeva Shyam Singh from Gaya Teachers’, JD(U) leader Sanjeev Kumar Singh from Kosi Teachers, RJD leader Punit Kumar Singh from Gaya Graduates’ and CPI’s Anand Pushkar from Saran Teachers’.
From the NDA camp, four BJP leaders were on Friday declared as its official candidates – former MLC Mahachandra Prasad Singh (Saran Graduates’), Awadhesh Narain Singh (Gaya Graduates), Ranjan Kumar (Kosi Teachers) and Dharmendra Singh (Saran Teachers). The Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas)’s leader D N Singh will contest from Gaya Teachers’ seat as the NDA candidate.
On February 27, the Election Commission announced the schedule for the biennial polls to two teachers’ constituencies (Gaya and Kosi) and two graduates’ constituencies (Saran and Gaya) and by-poll to one (Saran) teachers’ constituency.
As per the commission’s press note, the elections in Gaya & Kosi teachers’ constituencies and Saran & Gaya graduates’ constituencies are necessitated as their respective sitting members are scheduled to retire on May 8 this year. Those retiring are Sanjeeva Shyam Singh (Gaya teachers’), Sanjeev Kumar Singh (Kosi teachers), Awadhesh Narain Singh (Gaya graduates’) and Virendra Narayan Yadav (Saran Graduates’).
While the by-poll in the Saran teachers’ constituency was necessitated due to the untimely death of sitting MLC Kedar Nath Pandey on October 24 last year. CPI candidate Anand Pushkar is son of Pandey.
