Bihar polls: BJP names 2 more candidates for phase 1

The BJP on Wednesday cleared names of two more candidates, including for the Buxar seat where speculations were rife that former DGP Gupteshwar Pandey may contest the state elections.

The party gave a ticket to Parshuram Chaturvedi from Buxar constituency and Deepak Sharma from Arwal seat, a BJP statement said.

The saffron party had issued a list of 27 candidates for the first phase on Tuesday. Declaration of name from the Buxar seat ends all speculations of the former state police chief being fielded in the October-November polls.

Media reports suggested that Pandey, who took VRS last month and later joined the JD(U), could enter the poll fray from his native Buxar seat or Shahpur in the same district. Both the seats went to the saffron party under the seat-sharing formula in the NDA.

The BJP has already named Munni Devi from the Shahpur assembly seat. Bihar BJP media department member Ashok Bhat said that Chaturvedi is presently a member of the state executive committee and has been a committed party member.

Both Buxar and Arwal seats will witness voting in the first phase on October 28 along with 69 other constituencies.

The Buxar seat was won by Sanjay Kumar Tiwari of the Congress in 2015 state elections while in Shahpur RJD'S Rahul Tiwari had defeated BJP's Visheshwar Ojha then.