Oppn gave tickets to "sons of strongmen, goons": Anurag Thakur ahead of Bihar assembly elections

Patna (Bihar) [India], October 16 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Anurag Thakur on Thursday lashed out the Mahagathbandhan, claiming that the opposition parties have given election tickets to children of "goons" while the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has given chance to "young people" who will work for the youth in Bihar.
"Look at the NDA candidates; many young candidates have been given a chance so that the NDA government can be formed for the youth of Bihar. On the other hand, those who are corrupt and believe in Jungle Raj have given tickets to the sons of strongmen and goons. Is Lalu Prasad Yadav thinking of bringing back Jungle Raj in Bihar? The people of Bihar will never accept this. The people of Bihar want to connect with development," Thakur told ANI.
He further stated that NDA has gained momentum in Bihar while the Mahagathbandhan remains in conflict over seat-sharing.
"The momentum NDA has gained in the Bihar elections is clearly visible. We have distributed tickets; we are filing nominations. On the other hand, there is conflict within the Mahagathbandhan. Slogans are also being raised against Lalu Prasad Yadav," Thakur added.
The final date for filing a nomination for the first phase of the assembly elections is October 17, while that for the second phase is October 20.
BJP on Wednesday announced its third and final list of candidates, naming individuals for 18 seats in the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections.
The BJP has fielded Satish Kumar Yadav against RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav from Raghopur constituency. The list also included Nand Kishor Ram from Ramnagar, Vinay Bihari from Lauriya, Bina Devi from Kochadhaman, and Kumar Shailendra from Bihpur.
With the third list of candidates, the BJP has announced the names for all the 101 seats allotted to the party in the NDA's seat-sharing arrangement.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar-led JD(U) released its first list of 57 candidates. The list includes JD(U) state president Umesh Khushwaha (Mahanar), Bihar Rural Development Minister Shravan Kumar (Nalanda), and Sunil Kumar (Bhore-SC).
Chirag Paswan-led Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) also announced the first list of 14 candidates out of the 29 seats allotted to the party in the final seat-sharing.
The Rashtriya Lok Morcha, led by former Union Minister and Rajya Sabha MP Upendra Kushwaha, on Wednesday released the list of six candidates.
The party has announced six candidates across different districts for the state polls. According to the official release issued by State General Secretary Subhash Chandravanshi, Tittu has been fielded from the Basopatti constituency in Siwan district. From Madhubani, the candidate announced is Mayank Anand, while Alok Kumar Singh will contest from the Dinara constituency in Rohtas district.
Meanwhile, the Mahagathbandhan is yet to announce its seat-sharing formula for the upcoming polls.
Polls for the 243-seat Bihar Assembly are scheduled to take place on November 6 and November 11, with the counting of votes to follow on November 14. (ANI)