Lok Sabha Polls 2019 | The caste lines under NDA's candidate selection in Bihar

File image of Bihar Deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi (left) and CM Nitish Kumar

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on March 23 released their list of candidates from Bihar ahead of the Lok Sabha Polls.

The BJP and the JD(U), which have decided to field 17 candidates each, have released a precariously balanced list, dominated by upper caste and OBC / EBC candidates.

Of 17 candidates, BJP has given tickets to 10 upper castes, five OBCs, one EBC and one scheduled caste candidate.

The saffron party has, of course, denied a ticket to rebel MP Shatrughan Sinha from the Patna Sahib constituency and replaced him with Union Minister and prominent Kayastha leader Ravi Shankar Prasad.

In addition, the BJP has fielded local MLA and upper caste Brahmin leader Gopalji Thakur from Darbhanga as sitting MP Kirti Azad joined Congress.

Another difficult decision taken by the saffron party was fielding Union Minister Giriraj Singh from Begusarai, instead of his bastion seat Nawada, which was given to the ally Lok Janshakti Party (LJP). The LJP has now fielded muscleman and former MP Suraj Bhan’s brother Chandan Kumar.

However, it will be interesting to see a fight between Giriraj Singh and former JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar, who is contesting on a CPI ticket from Begusarai.

Read Also | Giriraj's reluctance to contest from Begusarai comparable to kids' refusal to attend school: Kanhaiya Kumar

While BJP has retained 12 of its winning candidates in Bihar, it has fielded OBC leader Pradeep Singh from Araria, a stronghold of RJD.

On the other hand, JD(U) has tried to neutralize the social balance by fielding six OBC candidates, two scheduled caste and one Muslim candidate. The Nitish Kumar-led party is keeping to its EBC and Koeri-Kurmi voter base in Bihar. The party has fielded Vijay Manjhi opposite Grand Alliance candidate Jitan Ram Manjhi from Gaya.

Read Also | We never laid claim on any sitting seat of allies : Ram Vilas Paswan

The other ally in the NDA – the Ram Vilas Paswan led LJP. Out of the six seats given to the party as a part of their seat-sharing arrangement, Paswan has kept three seats, all reserved category, for his family members –  his brothers Pashupati Kumar Paras  and Ram Chandra Paswan will contest from Samastipur and Hajipur, respectively. In addition, his son Chirag Paswan will contest from Jamui.

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