Bihar Elections: Cong picks Shatrughan Sinha's son Luv Sinha for tough battle in Bankipore

After massive chaos within the party, Congress on Thursday announced the list of remaining candidates for Bihar elections. One candidate who surely catches the eye is Bollywood actor and former BJP leader Shatrughan Sinha's son Luv Sinha. The junior Shotgun has been given the ticket from Bankipore, which goes to poll in the second phase of elections on November 3.

Interestingly, Shatrughan Sinha, who parted ways from the BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha elections 2019, and joined Congress had contested unsuccessfully from the Patna Sahib constituency. Now his son Luv has been pitted against BJP's three-time MLA Nitin Navin from Bankipore, which falls under Patna Sahib. Luv Sinha's debut in politics comes after his Bollywood debut in 2009 with Sadiyaan. 

Bankipur seat is going to be a tough fight for the junior Shotgun as it is considered as BJP's citadel. The sitting BJP MLA Navin has won the seat since 2005 and his father Navan Kishor Prasad Sinha had held the seat from 1995 for the BJP. 

READ | Bihar polls: Congress' full list of 70 candidates out; Shatrughan Sinha's son gets ticket

Seat-sharing formula of RJD-Cong alliance 

Congress is contesting on 70 seats in Bihar as the party agreed to a seat-sharing deal of 144-70 with the RJD. Three other Communist parties are also part of Mahagathbandhan and are contesting on 29 seats. Tejashwi Yadav has been declared its CM face. 

READ | JP Nadda hits out at China, Pak in Bihar rally: 'Panic in Beijing as India building roads'

This year's Bihar elections will witness the clash of as many as five alliances. The ruling JDU-BJP is contesting along with Mukesh Sahni's VIP and former CM Jitan Ram Manjhi's Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular), while LJP has decided to go solo. The Mahagathbandhan led by RJD has lost many key allies and is contesting with Congress and three left parties.

On 28 September, Pappu Yadav who is eyeing a comeback in politics of Bihar stitched an alliance of his party Jan Adhikar Party (JAP) with Chandrashekhar Azad's Azad Samaj Party', MK Faizi's Social Democratic Party and Bahujan Mukti Party. They named it the Progressive Democratic Alliance (PDA). On the other side, confident after his party's victory in byelections, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has teamed up with Upendra Kushwaha-led RLSP, Mayawati's BSP, Devendra Yadav's SJDD, and SBSP as the 'Grand Democratic Secular Front' to contest the upcoming polls. 

READ | Kanhaiya Kumar opines on Mahagathbandhan's CM face Tejashwi Yadav ahead of Bihar elections

Bihar polls

The Bihar Assembly has a strength of 243 members out of which 38 seats are reserved for SC and two for ST. In the 2015 state polls, the Mahagatbandhan comprising RJD, JD(U) and Congress won a whopping majority with 178 seats under the leadership of Nitish Kumar. On the other hand, the BJP-led alliance won from only 58 constituencies. On July 26, 2017, Nitish Kumar stepped down as the CM citing irreconcilable differences with RJD over corruption allegations against Tejashwi Yadav and joined hands with its former ally BJP.

The upcoming Assembly election will be held in three phases - October 28, November 3 and November 7.  To decongest polling stations, the voting time has been increased by one hour. Thus, people will be able to cast their votes from 7 am to 6 pm barring for the areas affected by Left-wing extremism. The counting of votes will take place on November 10.

READ | 'Sushil Modi will be made Governor': RJD's Manoj Jha predicts BJP's defeat in Bihar polls