RJD had announced candidates for six seats last month, saying decision on the remaining seats was pending

Patna, Oct 2: The Congress has named five candidates for the October 23 Bihar Legislative Council elections, setting up a direct contest with its alliance partner RJD on three seats.

Elections to eight seats in the Upper House of the bicameral Bihar legislature are scheduled for October 23. The terms of four Graduates' and four Teachers' constituency seats will end on November 16.

According to the list cleared late on Thursday evening by Congress general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal, the party has fielded its former state president Madan Mohan Jha for re-election from the Darbhanga Teachers' constituency. The RJD has not yet announced a candidate for this seat.

The Congress has also nominated Sanjay Yadav from the Patna Teachers' constituency, where the RJD is not contesting either.

However, the party has put up Manoj Kumar Jaiswal from Kosi Graduates, Rajnikant Pathak from Darbhanga Graduates and Asadullah Khan from Patna Graduates, all seats on which the RJD is also in the fray.

The RJD had announced its candidates for six seats last month, adding cryptically that a "decision on the remaining seats was pending".

In the Graduates' constituencies, anyone who has held a graduate degree from a recognised Indian university for at least three years and lives in the constituency concerned is eligible to vote. In the Teachers' constituencies, those with at least three years of teaching experience in secondary schools, colleges or universities can vote. In both cases, voters must be registered on the electoral rolls prepared for the purpose.