Patna may see Ravishankar vs Shotgun; BJP drops only woman MP in Rajasthan
From the National People’s Party attempting its maiden voyage in Assam to opposition Congress announcing its candidates in Tripura, here are the latest updates about the upcoming elections from various states across the country:
Bihar
The NDA in Bihar, comprising the BJP, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) and Ram Vilas Paswan’s LJP, announced its candidates for 39 out of the total 40 Lok Sabha seats in the state. Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad will contest from Patna Sahib seat, a party stronghold represented by Shatrughan Sinha in the outgoing Lok Sabha, said a PTI report. According to media reports, Sinha is likely to join the Congress and seek re-election on a ticket of the grand old party.
Tripura
The opposition Congress in Tripura announced candidates for two Lok Sabha seats in the state, which is set to go to the polls on March 11 and 18. Subal Bhowmick, who recently quit the BJP to join the Congress, will contest the election from West Tripura constituency, while Pragya Deb Burman, a member of the royal family in the state, has been fielded from East Tripura (ST) seat.
Rajasthan
The only woman MP from Rajasthan in last Lok Sabha, Santosh Ahlawat, who was dropped by BJP in its first list of 16 out of total 25 candidates for upcoming parliamentary polls, has expressed anguish over the development, saying the party “sidelined” her despite works done for the constituency and the party. “This is very disappointing that I was denied ticket despite the work I have done for the constituency as well as for the party and workers in five years,” said the Jhunjhunu MP.
Kerala
The Congress in Kerala has proposed AICC president Rahul Gandhi’s name for the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat, a party bastion in the State, but he has yet to respond to the request, senior leaders said Saturday.
Arunachal Pradesh
With the last date for filing nominations for the simultaneous Assembly and Lok Sabha polls in Arunachal Pradesh drawing closer, 60 candidates have filed their nominations for the Assembly polls till Friday. Three candidates have filed their nominations for the two Lok Sabha seats, election office sources told PTI.
West Bengal
The ruling Trinamool Congress and the opposition BJP, who are ready to battle it out in the Lok Sabha polls, are preferring turncoats over their tried and tested leaders. There is discontent over candidate selection within both the parties dominating the poll scenario in the state. But the two parties defend their decision, saying winnability was of prime consideration for them.
Assam
The National People’s Party, which is making its maiden entry into the electoral fray in Assam, announced five candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls in the state on Saturday, according to PTI. The party is led by Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma.
Tamil Nadu
The Congress, which is contesting the Lok Sabha polls with DMK, announced its candidate list for Tamil Nadu and Puducherry late on Saturday. Of the 10 seats (including Puducherry), candidates for nine constituencies, except Sivaganga, have been announced. Karur, Trichy and Theni has been allocated to Jothi Mani, Thirunavukkarasar, EVKS Elangovan, respectively. MK Vishnuprasad has been given Arani. Thiruvalluvar, a reserved constituency, has been given to K Jayakumar. While Manickam Tagore got a ticket from Virudhunagar, H Vasanthakumar will have to fight it out from Kanyakumari. Former Puducherry Chief Minister V Vaithilingam will be Puducherry’s candidate.
Telangana
The Congress has decided to field former union minister Renuka Chowdhury from Khammam Lok Sabha seat which she had represented twice in the past in 1999 and 2004. Her candidature was finalised in the last minute. With this, the Congress has declared its candidates for all the 17 LS seats in Telangana.
