The JD(U) is staking claim on a minimum of 53 seats to contest next year’s UP Assembly poll in alliance with the BJP. The central leadership of the two parties would soon hold talks to give a final shape to the seat agreement for the UP polls.
The BJP had allotted the JD(U) and Apna Dal of Dr Sone Lal Patel a total of 53 seats in the last UP Assembly elections in 2007. “Now since the death of Dr Patel his party has become of no relevance, the JD(U) will seek the same number of seats allotted by the BJP in the last election,” stated a senior JD (U) functionary.
The JD(U) camp is upbeat after the former BJP president Rajnath Singh in a rally at Kanpur recently had stated that the NDA would contest the UP Assembly election as an alliance. “After Mr Singh’s public commitment there should not be any doubt about our alliance in UP,” added the JD (U) functionary.
The JD(U) is pinning hope on the fact that after resounding victory in the Bihar Assembly election last year the party would do much better in the border districts in UP which have significant Bhojpuri-speaking people coming from the similar socio-political background.
The party under the leadership of NDA convenor Sharad Yadav is holding a two-day meet at Lucknow to identify candidates for the poll amid the Samajwadi Party and the ruling BSP having already announced a large number of their respective candidates.
Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar is also likely to pitch in to campaign in support of the JD(U) candidates, while the party leaders are stating that he would also be campaigning for the BJP candidates, which could see him pitted against UP chief minister Mayawati who has also been trying to raise the issue of governance in next year’s polls. The JD(U) has also stated that the party would hit the campaign trail in UP on the issues of corruption and price rise apart from the local issues.