Bihar Election 2020: The Assembly polls for 243 seats in the state are taking place in 3 phases. The first phase of the polling will be held on October 28 (71 seats), November 3 (94 seats) and 7 (78 seats). The counting of votes will take place on November 10. JDU and BJP are contesting the polls in alliance while RJD and Congress are forming up the Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance), however, LJP chief Chirag Paswan decided to part ways with the NDA, slamming Nitish Kumar alone but holding nothing against the BJP. While this assembly election is being the first one in the coronavirus time, let's take a look at key candidates in this election.
Key candidates in Bihar Assembly Election 2020
Pushpam Priya Choudhary
Pushpam Priya Choudhary is a new entrant in Bihar's politics where caste defines the dynamics and thus the outcome. 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. Read more
Tejashwi Yadav
Tejashwi Yadav is the son of RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav who is behind the bars after being convicted in the multi-crore fodder scam. Tejashwi, seen as Lalu's political heir, is the leader of opposition in the outgoing assembly. He is also the youngest opposition leader of a legislative assembly. Read more
ALSO READ | Bihar Election 2020: Who will form the next govt, know what Super Opinion Poll says
Luv Sinha
Actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha's son Luv Sinha is all set to enter the political circuit by contesting the assembly elections from his ancestral place in Bihar. Luv Sinha 37, had a short-lived career in films, unlike his father, a Bollywood veteran, and his sister Sonakshi Sinha, who has starred in several hit films. He was last seen in the 2018 film "Paltan". His first movie, "Sadiyaan", was in 2010. Read more
Tej Pratap Yadav
Tej Pratap Yadav, the elder son of Lalu Prasad and Bihar's former health minister, is contestng the forthcoming assembly polls from Hasanpur assembly seat in Samastipur district. Tej Pratap filed his nomination on October 13. He was accompanied by his younger brother and Rashtriya Janata Dal's CM nominee Tejashwi Yadav and senior party leaders Jagadanad Singh and Abdul Bari Siddiqui. Read more
Jitan Ram Manjhi
He has switched sides more than you can vividly remember. Talk of Bihar's political landscape and there he is -- Jitan Ram Manjhi, a low-profile leader who has garnered attention every election with his astounding political choices. Once a key ally of Lalu Prasad Yadav, Manjhi who had contested the 2019 national election as part of the opposition alliance, has now partnered with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Bihar. The former chief minister, also the chief of Dalit-centric Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular), is seeking re-election from Imamganj constituency in Gaya. Manjhi is among the star campaigners of NDA. Read more
Pappu Yadav
From a murder case conviction to fighting the bigwigs, the 52-year-old Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav has travelled across the political landscape in the state. Pappu Yadav was born in a zamindar family in Bihar's Khurda Karveli village on December 24, 1967. He did his schooling in Supaul and completed graduation in political science from BN Mandal University, Madhepura. Read more
ALSO READ | Bihar Election 2020: Know voting date in your constituency - Full Schedule