Lalu snaps ties with Congress in Bihar

Virtually ending its alliance with Congress in Bihar, Rashtriya Janata Dal supremo Lalu Prasad on Monday announced candidates for 28 of the 40 constituencies in the state, including from the three seats where Congress has sitting MPs.

The RJD chief released the list of candidates in Patna, but left without taking any questions.

The RJD had initially stitched an alliance with Ram Vilas Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party under which Prasad's party was to contest 25 of Bihar's 40 seats while LJP 12. The rest of the three seats were left for Congress.

However, after the Congress rejected the offer and resolved to contest 37 seats on its own sparing the two seats, Saran and Pataliputra, for its two allies, Lalu fielded his party's candidates even in the three seats won by the Congress in the previous Lok Sabha polls.

Lalu is trying his luck from Saran while LJP supremo is contesting from Pataliputra.

The RJD's list includes Union Ministers Taslimuddin (Kishanganj), Raghuvansh Prasad Singh (Vaishali), Akhilesh Prasad Singh (Purvi Champaran), Jai Prakash Narayan Yadav (Bbanka), Kanti Singh (Karakat), Raghunath Jha (Valmikinagar) and M A A Fatmi (Darbhanga).

Lalu fielded Lalan Paswan, who resigned as Janata Dal-United member in the state assembly and switched over to RJD on Sunday, against Union minister and Congress nominee Meira Kumar from Sasaram (SC).

Similarly, state president Abdul Bari Siddiqui would be contesting against Union Minister of State for Home and Congress candidate Shakeel Ahmed in Madhubani.

RJD's spokesman and MLA Shakeel Ahmed Khan would take on sitting Congress MP and retired IPS officer Nikhil Kumar from Aurangabad, Lalu added.