The nomination phase for the first leg of Lok Sabha elections in Bihar will end today (March 28) covering the parliamentary constituencies of Gaya, Aurangabad, Nawada, and Jamui. The Election Commission of India extended the deadline due to holidays linked to the Holi festival and Bihar Foundation Day.

As the deadline approaches, candidates from both the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the Grand Alliance are expected to flock to the offices of returning officers to file their nominations. So far, only 10 candidates have filed their nomination papers for the four seats.

Among the NDA contenders, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is contesting on two seats, while the Hindustani Awam Morcha and the Lok Janshakti Party are contesting on one seat each.

Prominent nominations include Sushil Kumar Singh from the BJP for Aurangabad and Shrawan Kumar Kushwaha from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) for Nawada. Jitan Ram Manjhi of the Hindustani Awam Morcha is set to file his nomination from Gaya, and Vivek Thakur from the BJP for the Nawada Lok Sabha seat. Arun Bharati of the Lok Janshakti Party (Ramvilas) will also submit his nomination paper from the Jamui constituency.

In the Grand Alliance, the formal announcement of candidates for the first phase is pending. However, RJD candidates Kumar Sarvjeet, Archana Ravidas, and Abhay Kushwaha, who have received party symbols from RJD President Lalu Prasad, are likely to submit their nomination papers for the Gaya, Jamui, and Aurangabad parliamentary constituencies.

The scrutiny of nomination papers will take place on March 30th, following the conclusion of the nomination process.