Patna, Nov 9 Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday kicked off campaigning for the upcoming Assembly by-elections in Bihar, scheduled for November 13, focusing on the Tarari and Ramgarh constituencies.
He will be campaigning alongside JD(U)'s National Working President Sanjay Jha and Water Resources Minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, with support from senior BJP leaders and other NDA allies.
His campaign will extend to Belaganj and Imamganj on November 10, as he rallies support for the BJP candidates in these competitive constituencies.
In Tarari, the BJP has nominated Vishal Prashant, the son of muscleman Sunil Pandey.
Sunil Pandey, then independent candidate, lost the 2020 elections to CPI(ML) candidate Sudama Prasad by a margin of 13,000 votes.
However, Sunil's family has won four out of six elections from 2000 to 2020.
The seat fell vacant after Sudama Prasad transitioned to the national level as an MP, and BJP's choice of Prashant aimed to leverage his family’s established influence.
Prashant will face a strong CPI(ML) candidate in the bypolls.
In Ramgarh, the BJP has fielded Ashok Kumar Singh, who will contest against Ajit Kumar, son of RJD state president Jagdanand Singh.
The Singh family holds considerable sway in Ramgarh, with Jagdanand Singh's elder son, Sudhakar Singh, having won the seat in 2020 before moving to a national role.
With the Singh family's established presence, BJP's candidate faces an uphill battle to claim the constituency for the NDA.
The Chief Minister's campaign will continue on Sunday too in Belaganj and Imamganj, where JD(U)'s Manorama Devi is contesting from Belaganj, while Deepa Manjhi, the daughter-in-law of Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) leader Jitan Ram Manjhi, was fighting from Imamganj.
Notably, Imamganj is the only NDA-held seat among the four up for election, vacated when Jitan Ram Manjhi became an MP from Gaya.
The stakes are high for both the NDA and Mahagathbandhan, as each alliance seeks to secure these influential constituencies.
With Jan Suraaj, led by Prashant Kishor, entering the race, the contest has taken on an added layer of intrigue, as Kishor and his team were working to draw support.
On the Mahagathbandhan side, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav and leaders from allied parties are equally engaged in intense campaigning efforts.
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