RJD supremo Lalu Prasad on Thursday decided to field his wife Rabri Devi and eldest daughter Misa Bharti from Saran and Pataliputra Lok Sabha seats respectively.
In the first list of 25 candidates released on Thursday, Rabri Devi, a former chief minister, seeks to retain her husband's bastion in Saran which he had to vacate after being convicted in the fodder scam last year.
The surprise element in the list was, however, Misa Bharti.
Though her candidature has come as a major surprise to one and all within the RJD and outside, Prasad said the decision was taken on popular demand from his supporters and the voters of that constituency.
"Maine parivar ko ticket dene ka dushsahas kiya hai (I have dared to give tickets to my family members)," he said.
To woo his traditional support base of Yadavs and Muslims, Prasad has given tickets to eight candidates from his caste and six from the minority community.
From Madhubani parliamentary seat, which was a bone of contention between RJD and Congress till inking of seat sharing agreement on Wednesday, Prasad has fielded the party's prominent Muslim face Abdul Bari Siddique, who is the leader of the RJD legislature party in the assembly.
Journalist Pragati Mehta, a political greenhorn, would contest from Munger while former minister in the Nitish Kumar government Bhagwan Singh Kushwaha from Ara Lok Sabha seat. Kushwaha, a senior JD(U) leader, joined the RJD this evening only.
Former union ministers A A Fatmi and Md Taslimuddin will contest from Darbhanga and Araria respectively.
Wife of RJD strongman Md Shahabuddin Hina Sahab will contest from Siwan while senior RJD leaders Anwarul Haque and Tanvir Hasan have been fielded from Sheohar and Begusarai respectively.
Prasad has also catered to his support base in the upper caste Rajputs renominating sitting MPs - Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, Prabhunath Singh and Jagadanand Singh from Vaishali,Maharajganj and Buxar Lok Sabha seats.
A Brahmin face, Raghunath Jha, also a former union minister, has been fielded from West Champaran constituency.
Among prominent candidates of non-Yadav OBCs, Alok Mehta will contest from Ujiarpur, Bulo Mandal from Bhagalpur and Mangnilal Mandal from Jhajharpur.
Of the Yadav candidates apart from Prasad's wife and daughter, former union ministers Jaiprakash Narayan Yadav and Kanti Singh will contest from Banka and Karakat respectively, while Sitaram Yadav and Krishna Kumari Yadav will contest from Sitamarhi and Khagaria seats.
Surendra Prasad Yadav and Rajvallabh Yadav have been given tickets from Jehanabad and Nawada Lok Sabha seats.
Prasad nominated Sudhansu Kumar Bhaskar and Ramji Manjhi from Jamui and Gaya (SC) seats.
After announcing 25 candidates, Prasad said he would decide the candidates of East Champaran and Madhepura Lok Sabha seats in a day or two.
Bihar has 40 Lok Sabha constituencies and, according to the seat sharing formula reached on Wednesday, RJD will contest in 27 seats, Congress in 12 and NCP one.
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