in Araku. However, the party hinted that it would further increase its list of candidates in the state. The party withdrew its candidate in the Khammam seat, Sameena Afroz, after an understanding had been reached with the YSR Congress Party. Assam CPI(M) announced three candidates in Assam, including the party state committee secretary and former MP Uddhab Barman. An alliance was formed with the Communist Party of India in the state, with CPI contesting the Jorhat seat. Bihar No names from Bihar were mentioned in the 'first list' of candidates released by the CPI(M) Central Committee. As of January 2014 CPI(M) sought to establish an alliance with the Janata Dal (United). Politburo member S. Ramachandran Pillai stated to The Hindu that the break between BJP and JD(U) was a major development, and that the JD(U) was the sole alternative as a partner to counter the influence of BJP in the election. According to a March 2014 report of NDTV was contesting the elections in Bihar alone and was planning to put up four candidates. The fourth list of candidates, released on 3 April 2014, carried four names from Bihar. Chhattisgarh Gujarat The party announced that Singhjibhai Katara would stand as its candidate in Dahod, a constituency in the tribal belt of the state. Katara had stood as a candidate in the 2009 election, obtaining 29,522 votes (5.52%). Haryana In March 2014 the Haryana units of CPI(M) and CPI announced that they would contest 5 Lok Sabha seats jointly. CPI(M) launched three candidates whilst CPI fielded two. The CPI(M) candidates announced were Phool Singh Sheokand (former president of the Hisar Agriculture University Students Union, trade union leader), Ram Kumar Bahbalpuria (agricultural workers union leader, who had mobilised farmers against the Gorakhpur Nuclear Power Plant) and Master Sher Singh (leader of Haryana teachers union and Kisan Sabha). Himachal Pradesh In November 2013 CPI(M) named two candidates to contest the elections; Jagat Ram, secretary of the Lal Jhanda Union and secretary of the Shimla unit of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions, and Kushal Bhardwaj, vice president of the Himachal Kisan Sabha and former leader of the Students Federation of India. Ahead of the election, the Himachal Pradesh state unit of CPI(M) declared that the party would contest poll jointly with CPI in the state. The slogan of the state-level election charter was defined as "Reject Congress, Defeat BJP". Jammu & Kashmir No