The BJP announced the first list of 71 candidates for the Bihar Assembly elections on Tuesday. This list includes both the state's Deputy Chief Ministers, Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Sinha, along with several senior leaders. However, in a major surprise, the BJP has denied a ticket to Assembly Speaker Nand Kishore Yadav from the Patna Sahib constituency. Instead, Ratnesh Kushwaha has been given the ticket.
Nand Kishore Yadav had been representing Patna Sahib since 2010. Additionally, Ram Kripal Yadav (Danapur), Prem Kumar (Gaya), former Deputy Chief Minister Tarkishore Prasad (Katihar), Alok Ranjan Jha (Saharsa), and Mangal Pandey (Siwan) are also included in the list. Anil Kumar has been given the ticket again from the Hisua constituency.
A few hours before this list, Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary announced on social media that the NDA seat-sharing deadlock had been resolved. The Bihar Assembly election will be held in two phases – on November 6 and 11, with counting on November 14.