leading Bhojpuri actor and singer Manoj Tiwari’s name reportedly has figured in the first list of Bihar BJP probable candidates for 22 seats. Party has also decided to retain all its 12 sitting lok Sabha MPs in the upcoming parliamentary poll.
Party sources said that the name of famous Bhojpuri actor and singer Manoj Tiwari is figured for the Buxar lok Sabha constituency where Brahmin votes are in sizeable number to decide fate of the candidates. In the last lok Sabha poll, party leader and veteran for the seat lal Muni Choubey had lost the poll with just 2,500 votes.
But, the party, said sources, has decided to drop lal Muni Choubey, a close confidant of BJP veteran Atal Bihar Vajpayee, this time and field Manoj Tiwari from there.
Similarly, name of senior State party leader Giriraj Singh too has been decided for the Nawada seat, Singh, who has been a vociferous admirer and advocate of BJP’s PM nominee Narendra Modi, though, wanted to contest from Begusarai. The party, said sources, wants to field Bhola Singh from Begusarai.
Though, over the Nawada seat reportedly coming to his bag, Giriraj Singh has said expressed his surprise and shock saying it was like he had got ticket to go to Mumbai and was sent to Delhi.
Similarly, the party has given ticket to retired bureaucrats RK Singh and RS Pandey from Ara and Valmikinagar constituencies. The JD-U MP who recently was expelled from party Shushil Singh has been given ticket from Aurangabad whereas former JD-U minister and MlA Chhedi Paswan is all set to contest from Sasaram lok Sabha constituency against Meira Kumar of Congress.
Name of Ajay Nishad who is son of former JD-U MP Capt Jai Narain Nishad also figured in the first probable list of candidates for Muzaffarpur seat. From Madhubani names of Hukumdeo Naraian Yadav, for Darbhanga Kirti Jah Azad too have reportedly been finalised.
From Gopalgunj and Gaya reserved seats the BJP has decided to field Janak Ram and Hari Manjhi whereas from Motihari and Sheohar lok Sabha seats names of party leaders Radha Mohan Singh Rama Devi have been finalised. Names of Dr Sanjay Agrawal and Pradip Das too have been decided for the West Champaran and Araria seats.
Sitting party MP and Bollywood actor Shatrughan Sinha is also slated for the Patna Sahib seat whereas on Patliputra seat the Party in all likelihood would field Nawal Kishore Yadav. For Purnia seat name of Uday Singh alias Pappu Singh and for Banka seat the party has decided to make Putul Singh as party candidates. Putul Singh, widow of late Digvijay Singh had recently joined BJP while reposing her faith in the leadership of Narendra Modi.
Similarly, name of Om Prakash Yadav, an Independent sitting MP from Siwan seat too has been finalized as he recently had joined the party.
Party leader and spokesperson Shahnawaj Hussain too would reportedly contest from Bhagalpur seat from where he had won last lok Sabha poll, though, local party MlA Ashwani Choubey has been opposing his candidature from there.
“Shahnawaj Hussain should contest from minority dominated constituency like Kishanganj…and I’ll like to contest from Bhagalpur this time”, Choubey had said recently. Bu, the party sources said that the party leadership has now convinced Choubey over this issue.
The name for the reaming 8 seats too is expected to come out soon after the party’s PM nominee Narendra Modi’s scheduled rally at Muzaffarpur on Monday, said a state party leader.