The electoral landscape for the upcoming Bihar Legislative Council elections across eight seats has taken a decisive turn. On Thursday, the Prashant Kishor led Jan Suraaj Party announced its final three candidates, completing its roster across all eight constituencies slated for voting. Earlier on September 20, the political outfit had made public its choices for the first five seats, setting the stage for a keen contest in both the teachers and graduates constituencies.
Candidates Finalised for Patna and Tirhut
According to the second candidate list unveiled by the party, Dr Anuj Singh will be entering the contest from the prestigious Patna Graduates constituency. Meanwhile, Dr Vimohan Kumar has been assigned the ticket for the Tirhut Graduates seat. The party has fielded Bhushan Jha to contest the Tirhut Teachers constituency. With these three announcements, Jan Suraaj has fulfilled its pledge of contesting the entirety of the eight vacant council seats.
High-Stakes Clash in Patna Graduates Constituency
The nomination of Dr Anuj Singh from the Patna Graduates seat brings internal friction within the ruling alliance to the forefront. The seat is currently held by Janata Dal United MLC Neeraj Kumar, who is aiming for a fourth consecutive victory. However, Mokama JDU MLA Anant Singh has openly revolted against his party's official candidate. Anant Singh has publicly stated that he will fully support Dr Anuj Singh, even going so far as to publicly describe Anuj Singh as his personal choice in the poll battle.
Roots of the Rivalry Traced to 2015
The political animosity between Anant Singh and Neeraj Kumar dates back to 2015. At that time, the party fielded Kumar from Mokama during the assembly election, leading Anant Singh to contest and secure victory as an independent candidate. Anant Singh asserts that he has dedicated supporters spread across all 26 assembly segments that fall under the jurisdiction of the Patna Graduates constituency, claiming they will rally behind Dr Anuj Singh. A landlord from Nawada district, Dr Anuj Singh has been associated with Prashant Kishor's political platform for some time and had also contested the assembly election last year under the Jan Suraaj banner.
Polling Scheduled for October 23
Earlier on September 20, the Jan Suraaj Party had rolled out its initial list of five contenders, which notably featured sitting MLC Afaq Ahmad. Ahmad is seeking to retain the Saran Teachers seat, which he won in 2022 with the backing of Prashant Kishor during the latter's mass public-awareness campaign. Polling for all eight Bihar Legislative Council constituencies will be conducted on October 23, and the counting of votes will take place on October 27.
