New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) announced the names of some of its candidates for the upcoming Legislative Council elections in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. With 11 seats up for contention in Bihar, the BJP has currently named its candidates for three seats. Meanwhile, in Uttar Pradesh, where 13 MLC seats are at stake, the BJP has put forth candidates for seven seats.
In Bihar, the BJP has nominated Mangal Pandey, Lal Mohan Gupta, and Anamika Singh for the 2024 MLC elections. Meanwhile, in Uttar Pradesh, the saffron party has selected Vijay Bahadur Pathak, Mahendra Kumar Singh, Mohit Beniwal, Ashok Katariya, Dharmendra Singh, Ramtirath Singhal, and Santosh Singh as its contenders.
Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh, the political arena is set for another showdown between the Samajwadi Party and the BJP. The Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) has already declared its candidate, aligning itself with the BJP for the UP Legislative Council elections. All candidates from the BJP alliance are slated to file their nominations on Monday.
The MLC elections in Bihar and UP are scheduled for March 21, with the deadline for nomination submissions set for March 11.
The upcoming MLC election in Bihar marks the first electoral test following the recent political realignment and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's return to the NDA alliance. Notably, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has put forth formidable contenders for the MLC seats, including former Chief Minister Rabri Devi and ex-Minister Abdulbari Siddiqui. Additionally, Urmila Thakur and Faisal Ali are among the prominent candidates fielded by the principal Opposition party.
Meanwhile, in Uttar Pradesh, the Samajwadi Party's approach towards the MLC election appears subdued, with the party nominating candidates for only three seats. Among the SP's nominees are Naresh Uttam Patel, Shah Alam, also known as Guddu Jamali, and former Minister Balaram Yadav.