The Congress is expected to issue party symbols to those candidates first who will be filling their nomination for the first phase of polls, as the last date of the filing of candidatures is October 17.

xNew Delhi: After several rounds of meetings and back-channel negotiations on the seat-sharing pact with the RJD, the Congress party on Tuesday held the party's central election committee meeting in the national capital and cleared the names of 18 candidates for the upcoming Bihar Assembly polls. The RJD, which allocated party symbols to a few candidates on Monday, held back as the INDIA bloc, helmed in Bihar by the party, is yet to formally announce a seat-sharing formula.

After the Congress CEC meeting, the sources indicated that besides the 18 names cleared, 43 more candidates are in

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