Saturday, January 15 2005 14:41 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: President of Bihar Congress unit Ram Jatan Sinha and Speaker of State Assembly Sadanand Singh are in the first list of 17 candidates the party released in New Delhi late last night (Jan 14, 2005) for next month's Assembly polls.

Sinha will be in fray in Warsaliganj constituency and Singh is seeking re-election from Kahalgong in Bhagalpur district.

Among other prominent names figuring in the first list are those of PCC (Pradesh Congress Committee) General Secretary Ajay Kumar Singh, a member of State Legislative council, from Dinara constituency and former Bihar Minister Aditya Singh in Hisua.

The Congress has indicated that it will contest 80 of the 243 Assembly seats in Bihar even as the party's seat-sharing talks with alliance partner RJD (Rashtriya Janata Dal) appeared to be in doldrums.