Bihar polls second phase: Top 10 candidates in battleground Bihar

As 94 assembly constituencies in 17 districts are set to go to polls on the third of November in the second phase of Bihar elections, the fate of many political heavyweights hangs in balance, including CM face Tejashwi Yadav and Pushpam Priya.

Patna: After first phase polling on Wednesday, now in the second phase, 94 assembly constituencies in 17 districts will go to polls on third November. The second phase will decide the fate of veterans-musclemen, including CM face Tejashwi Yadav and Pushpam Priya. Many big names, big faces are also in the field of 94 seats in the second phase of Bihar assembly elections. Let's take a look at 10 such special faces through this special report.

1. Tejaswi Yadav contests from Raghopur Seat

Tejaswi Yadav

The former deputy chief minister of the state, is contesting from the Raghopur seat. In 2015, Tejaswi defeated the then Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) leader Satish Kumar from the constituency. The seat is considered as the Rashtriya Janta Dal’s stronghold. Lalu Prasad Yadav and Rabdi Devi both represented the constituency in the state assembly from 1995 to 2010. In 2010, Rabdi Devi lost the seat to the then JDU leader Satish Kumar. Satish Kumar has now joined BJP after the JDUdenied him ticket from Raghopur. In 2015, the 30-year-old Yadav scion had defeated Satish Kumar. In the IRCTC scam case, CBI and ED had registered a case against Tejashwi Yadav, whose trial is going on.

2. Tej Pratap Yadav contests from Hasanpur Seat

Tej Pratap

Hasanpur assembly seat will have another Yadav family member fighting the Bihar assembly elections. Tej Pratap, a sitting MLA from Mahua assembly in Vaisali district, has changed the constituency to Hasanpur this time. Yadavs and Muslims are in majority in the constituency. Tej Pratap will face JDU sitting MLA Raj Kumar Ray, who had in 2015 defeated Binod Choudhary of BLSP.

Tej Pratap Yadav, who has been in limelight for separation with his wife Aishwarya for some time, over the controversies, Tej Pratap Yadav's divorce case with Aishwarya is in court.

3. Pushpam Priya Chaudhary contests from Bankipore Seat

Pushpam Priya Chaudhary

Pushpam Priya is contesting elections from the Bankipore seat in Patna district. She is also the CM face of the Plurals Party. Pushpam Priya is the daughter of Janata Dal-United leader Vinod Chaudhary. She announced her entry into Bihar politics with an ad blitz in almost all newspapers published from the state in March this year. She has been campaigning continuously against Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for the last several months. Pushpam Priya, who talks about a big change in Bihar, faces the BJP MLA Nitin Naveen in Bankipur. Bankipur seat is one of the important urban seats of Patna, Congress candidate Luv Sinha (son of Shatrughan Sinha) is also in the fray.

4. Luv Sinha contests from Bankipur constituency

Luv Sinha

Bankipur constituency is one of the high-profile seats in Bihar. Nitin Nabin is taking on former BJP leader Shatrughan Sinha's son Luv Sinha on a Congress ticket and Pushpam Priya Chaudhary of newly-formed Plurals Party. The BJP's Nitin Nabin has held the Bankipur legislative assembly seat since 2006. Before Nitin, his father Nabin Kishor Prasad Sinha represented the BJP in the constituency. Pushpam Priya is the chief ministerial candidate for her party. In 2015, Nitin Nabin had defeated Congress Ashish Kumar by 39,767 votes.

Luv, who was last seen in J.P. Dutta's war movie, Paltan in 2018 had made his debut with Sadiyaan (2010) co-starring Hema Malini, Rekha and Rishi Kapoor.

5. Pappu Yadav contests from Madhepura Seat

Pappu Yadav

Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav, the former heavyweight MP from Madhepura and chief of Jan Adhikar Party-Loktantrik (JAP-L) is contesting from the Madhepura assembly seat. He is pitted against the RJD's Chandrashekhar, a sitting MLA, and the JDU leader Nikhil Mandal. In May 2015, Pappu Yadav was suspended from the RJD.

Pappu Yadav remained in jail for a long time after being sentenced to life imprisonment in 2008 on the charge of murder of CPI (M) MLA Ajit Sarkar. Later, the Supreme Court acquitted him.

6. Chandrika Rai contests from Parsa Seat

Chandrika Rai

Chandrika Rai, a former minister and the father-in-law of Lalu Yadav's elder son Tej Pratap Yadav, is contesting from the Parsa assembly seat in Saran on a JDU ticket. He is pitted against Chote Lal Rai of the RJD. Chandrika Rai is a six-term MLA from Parsa. He was first elected to the state assembly in 1985 on a Congress ticket.

7. Shravan Kumar contests from Nalanda Seat

Shravan Kumar, the parliamentary affairs and rural development minister in the Nitish Kumar government, is contesting from Nalanda to seek re-election as a JDU candidate. He is pitted against Gunjan Patel of the Congress.

8. Nand Kishore Yadav contests from Patna Sahib seat

Nand Kishore Yadav, the state's road construction minister, is contesting from Patna Saheb seat as a BJP candidate. Praveen Kushwaha of the Congress is challenging his state assembly membership. Patna Saheb is a BJP bastion. Nand Kishore Yadav has been representing the BJP in the state assembly since 1995.

The politics of Nand Kishore Yadav has also started with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). He has been associated with RSS since the beginning and has participated in different programs. The last time the alliance of JDU and RJD broke and NDA has been holding the post of cabinet minister since the NDA government was formed in Bihar. He has also held the post of tourism minister in the Bihar government.

9. Ritlal Yadav contests from Danapur Seat

Ritlal Yadav

Among the musclemen or their family members who have been fielded by the RJD, the first name is that of Ritlal Yadav, who is an RJD candidate from Danapur seat of Patna. Bahubali Ritlal Yadav contest against NDA candidate Asha Sinha. Musclemen Ritlal Yadav was accused of killing Asha Sinha's husband. This time the fight between the two is being considered very tough. Ritlal Yadav, who contested from Danapur Assembly seat on the ticket of Lalu Yadav's party Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) in 2015, is still an MLC. He was independently elected MLC while in prison.

Ritlal Yadav is accused of murdering BJP leader Satyanarayana Sinha. Apart from this, the list of other crimes of Ritlal Yadav is very long, due to which he is in jail for many years. He has many serious allegations like recovery of weeks, illegal land capture. For this reason, his name has been frightened in the entire state.

10. Kumari Manju Verma contests from Cheria Bariarpur Seat

Manju Verma

Manju Verma, a former minister in Nitish Kumar government, is contesting from the Cheria Bariarpur seat in Begusarai. Rajvanshi Mahto of the RJD is challenging her in the constituency. Manju Verma is a two-term MLA from Cheria Bariyarpur and will be in the fray for a third consecutive term.

Manju Verma, who had to resign after her husband's name had come up in the Muzaffarpur shelter home abuse case involving 34 minor girls. she had to resign from the cabinet. She was also arrested under the Arms Act in November 2018, when the police had conducted a raid at her house in connection with the shelter home abuse case, and was sent to jail. Later, she was granted bail by the Patna High Court.