Taking a lead in announcing candidates for Bihar assembly elections, BJP on Thursday night came out with its first list of nominees for 80 of the 105 seats it will contest in the four-phased polls beginning on October 18.
The party, which has a pre-poll alliance with JDU, will finalise the names for rest of the constituencies within a week after talks with its partner, BJP Vice President and state unit chief Sushil Kumar Modi said after the marathon meeting of party's Election Committee.
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Also see: Bihar polls, February '05
At least 37 of the candidates finalised are those who won the last Assembly elections earlier this year, he said after the meeting attended by BJP president Lal Kishenchand Advani, former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and other leaders.
Two LJP leaders, who were victorious in the last polls and have since joined BJP, will contest the seats that they won-- Bikram and Taraiyan, Modi said.
The list released does not cover all the seats the party will contest in the first and second phase. At least 61 seats will go to polls in the first phase while balloting will take place at 69 constituencies in the second phase on October 26.
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