In the Bihar Assembly elections, 16 ministers from the Nitish Kumar government are contesting in the first phase. Among them, eleven are from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and five from the Janata Dal (United). The first phase of polling will be held on November 6 across 121 assembly constituencies in 18 districts of the state. Our correspondent reports that the BJP has several prominent figures in the fray in this phase.
Deputy Chief Minister and BJP candidate Samrat Choudhary is contesting for the first time from the Tarapur assembly constituency in Munger district. The second Deputy Chief Minister and BJP candidate Vijay Kumar Sinha is contesting from Lakhisarai. Health Minister Mangal Pandey is contesting for the first time from Siwan as a BJP nominee. Road Construction Minister Nitin Nabin is the BJP candidate from Bankipur in Patna district, while Revenue and Land Reforms Minister Sanjay Saraogi is contesting from Darbhanga.
Panchayati Raj Minister Kedar Prasad Gupta is contesting from Kurhani in Muzaffarpur district, while Tourism Minister Raju Kumar Singh is in the fray from Sahebganj. Sports Minister Surendra Mehta is contesting from Bachhwara in Begusarai, and Urban Development and Housing Minister is trying his political fortune from Jale assembly seat in Darbhanga district. Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Sunil Kumar is the BJP candidate from Bihar Sharif in Nalanda district, while Information and Technology Minister Krishan Kumar Mantoo is contesting from Amonour in Saran district. Among the Janata Dal (United) candidates, senior party leader and Water Resources Minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary is contesting from Sarairanjan in Samastipur district, while Information and Public Relations Minister Maheshwar Hazari is contesting from the reserved seat of Kalyanpur.
Education Minister Sunil Kumar is contesting from Bhore in Gopalganj district, and Prohibition and Registration Minister Ratnesh Sada is in the fray from Sonbarsha in Saharsa district. The JD(U) has fielded Social Welfare Minister Madan Sahni from Bahadurpur in Darbhanga district, and Rural Development Minister Shravan Kumar from Nalanda.
