Congress Announces Candidates For Assembly Bypolls, Fields Ashok Kumar From Bihar's Samastipur

The Congress on Sunday announced the list of candidates for the Assembly bypolls in several states. The names have been announced for one parliamentary constituency in Bihar, and four legislative assemblies in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. The announcement has been just a day ahead of the last date of for the nomination for the bypolls in several Lok Sabha and Assembly constituencies.

"Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi has approved the proposals for the candidature of Ashok Kumar from Bihar's Samastipur reserved seat," Congress general secretary Mukul Wasnik said in a release. 

The by-elections for the Samastipur seat was necessitated after the death of Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) Member of Parliament (MP) Ram Chandra Paswan. 

In Bihar, the Grand Alliance comprising the Rashtriya Janata Dal, Congress, Hindustani Awam Morcha and VIP party could manage to win only one out of 40 Lok Sabha seats in 2019 general elections. 

The Congress has named Sayeeda Banu from Bihar's Kishanganj assembly constituency, Rita Chaudhary from Rajasthan's Mandawa, Harendra Mirdha from Khivsar and Mannu Dervi from Uttar Pradesh's Balha assembly seat. 

The bypolls for the Kishanganj assembly seat was required as Mohammad Javed, a Congress MLA from Kishanganj got elected to the Lok Sabha while two seats in Rajasthan were vacated after Khivsar MLA Hanuman Beniwal and Mandawa's BJP MLA Narendra Kumar were elected from Nagaur and Jhujhunu Lok Sabha seats, respectively. 

BJP's Balha MLA Akshaywar Lal Gaud had won from Bahraich Lok Sabha seat earlier this year. 

On September 21, the Election Commission announced the schedule for the bypolls on October 21, while the counting of votes will take place on October 24. The bypolls are scheduled for 64 assembly across 17 states.