NEW DELHI: Former Premier Rajiv Gandhi’s Congress I party late Thursday released a list of 318 candidates for the forthcoming assembly elections to the 324member Bihar assembly, where the party currently rules.
Chief Minister Jagannath Mishra will contest either from Jhanjbarpur or Madhubani, party sources said.
Six seats including Madhubani and Jhanjharpur are yet to be finalized and these have been left to the chief minister and the state congress I President, Lahtan Choudhhary to take a final decision on, the sources said adding that the remaining four seats were: Rupauli, Barhi, Aurangabad and Mohani.
The State Congress (I) chief will seek re-election from Mahishi.
Jagannath Mishra, who is currently a member of the upper house of parliament, flew to the state capital, Pata late Thursday along with the list of the candidates.
The sources said nearly 35 sitting MLAS and a few ministers had been denied tickets by the party high command.
Prem Shankar Singh, son of the former governor of Assam and former federal minister, Bhishma Narain Singh, will contest from Hussainabad and Hemant Sahii, son of the former federal minister of state, LP. ‘Sahi will seek election from Vaishali.
Ramesh Pandey, son in law of the former federal minister, Bindesh wari Dubey will contest from Shabpur. The seat ‘was earlier held by Bindeshwari Dubey when he was the chief minister of Bihar from 1985 to 1988,
The former speaker of the Bihar assembly, Shiv Chandra JHA, has been shifted from his old constituency, Bhagalpur to Banka.
Meanwhile a report from Bhubhaneswar, the capital of the eastern coastal state of Orissa said as many 2s 50 of tae 112 sitting Congress (I) legislators, including two ministers and several other heavy weights, had been denied tickets for contesting the February 27 assembly elections.
‘The party, which entered into an electoral alliance with the United Communist Party of India (UCPI) will contest 145 of the 147 seats in the state, Two seats, Balasore and Athagarh, have been left:1o the UCPL
Releasing the party candidates, list here ‘on Thursday evening, State Congress (I) President Nandini Satpathy said 95 new candidates would be fielded this time.
‘While Satpathy herself has shifted from Dbenkanal to Gondia in Dbenkanal district, chief minister Hemananda Biswal would seek re-election from hislaikera seat in Sambalpur district.
Former chief minister Janaki Ballabb Patnaik’s name does not figure in the list.
In the northern hill station of himachal pradesh, chief minister Vir Bhadra Singh and 15 ministerial colleagues figure in the Congress (I) list released by the parliamentary board of the party here late Thursday.
Former Member of Parliament, N C Parashar and at least 18 sitting legislators has been given the party ticket for another term.
‘The speaker of the state assembly, Vidya Stokes, will be contesting from theog constituency.
Article extracted from this publication >> February 9, 1990
