Jharkhand polls: RJD releases first list of candidates

The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has announced its first list of five candidates for the Jharkhand Assembly elections.

RJD state unit president Abhay Kumar Singh on Monday said as per the list released on Sunday former Jharkhand minister Satyanand Bhokta will be the party's candidate for the Chatra seat.

He said the other four candidates are - Sanjay Singh Yadav (Hussainabad), Sanjay Prasad Yadav (Godda), Suresh Paswan (Deoghar) and Vijay Ram (Chhatarpur).

Bhokta had been the minister in the previous NDA governments between 2000 and 2005. He joined the RJD five months ago from the BJP, RJD general secretary Ashutosh Ranjan Yadav said.

The JMM, Congress, and the RJD had recently announced a pre-poll alliance in the state. As per the agreement the Congress will contest 31 seats, the JMM 43 and the RJD will put up candidates in seven constituencies.

The JMM and the Congress had announced their first list of candidates for the Jharkhand Assembly elections on Sunday.

Jharkhand will vote in five phases, with the first one on November 30 and the last on December 20. The results will be declared on December 23. The last date of filing nominations for the first phase of the elections is November 13.