File Photo: Congress chief Sonia Gandhi with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar (Press Trust of India)
Congress today released their list of 41 candidates for Bihar polls and former Union minister Akhilesh Prasad Singh, former MP Purnmasi Ram and Youth Congress chief Kumar Ashish were among those who got the party ticket.
As part of the alliance with JD(U) and RJD, Congress will contest on 41 seats out of 243 in the upcoming Bihar polls. Five of the candidates are women.
AICC Secretary Shakeel Ahmed Khan is contesting from Kadwa, a seat in the Seemanchal region. The grand alliance had earlier planned to allocate the seat to NCP. As the NCP walked out of the grand alliance, the seat fell in Congress kitty.
Ex-MP Ram, who had unsuccessfully contested the last Lok Sabha polls from Gopalgnaj on Congress ticket, has been fielded from reserved seat of Ramnagar.
Former PCC chiefs Anil Sharma and Ramjatan Sinha could not be accommodated.
JD(U) MLA Kaushal Yadav's wife Poornima Yadav has been fielded from Govindpur seat by Congress this time, which Mr Kaushal represented last time. Mr Kaushal has been fielded by JD(U) this time from adjoining Hisua. Both the seats fall in Nawada district.
Congress Legislature Party leader Sadanand Singh would once again contest from his traditional seat Kahalgaon while former CLP leader Ashok Ram has been fielded from the reserved seat of Rosera.
Another former leader Vijay Shankar Dubey has been fielded from Mr Manjhi's seat while three-term MLA Ramdeo Rai contests from Bachchwara.
A former Union minister in UPA government Akhilesh Prasad Singh, who left RJD and joined Congress in 2010, has been fielded from Tarari seat.
Former Minister and senior party leader Awadhesh Kumar Singh has been fielded from Wazirganj.
Former MLA Jugal Kishore's son Priya Ranjan alias Dimple has been fielded from Gaya, which is represented by a six-term BJP MLA Prem Kumar.
Kumar Ashish got ticket from Bankipore seat, while Aquil Haider would enter the fray from Kumhrar. Both the seats have BJP MLAs for more than two decades.
A close look at the list highlights that Congress candidates have been selected for majority of seats in urban areas which have been with the BJP for long.