Patna: Bihar NDA partner JDU has decided to contest the Uttar Pradesh assembly election on 200 seats. The announcement was made by the JDU's national general secretary and spokesperson of the party KC Tyagi. However, the political observers opined that JDU will not make much difference rather than playing the role of spoiler.
In the past, JDU has been a part of the NDA in Uttar Pradesh. The last time JDU contested the election in UP was in 2012 along with Apna Dal. In 2017 as well, JDU had done full preparation and even selected candidates but at the last minute took a unanimous decision not to contest the 2017 election. JDU had contested the UP election in 2007 a well. With the UP election due next year, the JDU has once again jumped into the fray.
"JDU has decided to contest elections in Uttar Pradesh on 200 seats. Our first preference would be BJP for the alliance and if it does not materialise we will contest happily as a separate identity the way we contested in Bengal, Jharkhand and Assam. I have also spoken to UP CM Yogi Adityanath ji in this regard that they can get the benefit of Nitish Kumar ji's face in UP election," Tyagi told media personnel in Delhi.
With this move, Nitish is taking all the measures to ensure the party's presence in neighbouring states be it Bengal or Uttar Pradesh. The party contested 75 seats in Bengal but not a single candidate won the election.
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As per the track record, the performance of JDU in other states is weak. Be it Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh - JDU candidates lost their security deposits and could not even open their account. Opposition party RJD on the other hand termed JDU's decision to contest the UP poll as pressure politics to bargain seats.
"JDU wants to bargain a few seats with BJP and that's the reason the party has decided to contest the UP election. When people have rejected Nitish ji in Bihar, how do you expect him to contest election in UP. It's nothing but pressure politics," said RJD spokesperson Mritunjay Tiwary.
In the present scenario JDU does not have any vote bank in UP and looking at the party's track record it has been proved that Nitish's party has performed badly in other states. JDU on the other hand claimed that the people of other states are much impressed by the image of Nitish Kumar and his policies.
"We have got better results in other states as people were very much impressed by the image of our leader Nitish Ji and his policies. Our party president RCP Singh ji and Nitish ji will decide on other plans for the UP election. However, one thing's sure that JDU has always believed in providing equal opportunity to the most neglected communities," JDU spokesperson Abhishek Jha said.
Political expert Dr Sanjay Kumar said that JDU does not have any vote base in UP and contesting the UP election is an attempt to make it a national party based on the vote JDU will get in the UP poll.
"Nitish Kumar is going there to do his caste-based politics of Kurmi community but Keshav Prasad Maurya is already an established leader of that community. Several times, Nitish ji has tried to expand his party by contesting elections in other states but everyone knows how badly the party has performed. BJP would like to give space to the established party and leaders rather than experimenting with new ones. It is nothing but an attempt to expand the party and also to convert JDU from regional to national party," Dr Sanjay said.
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He further explained that BJP already has a support base and as being the national party, it will only go for the established party and leaders.
"Do you think that people of Bihar will give vote to a Gujarat based political party in the state? BJP understands this tactic very well. It does not mean that BJP has an alliance in Bihar; they will do the same in other states as well. BJP broke six MLAs of JDU in Arunachal Pradesh out of seven. BJP not only broke but ensured their merger in the party. In politics, the decision is taken on the basis of convenience and suitability. The big party always plays the big game with the big player, not with the beginner. I don't think the BJP will go with JDU in the UP election," Dr Sanjay asserted.
Bihar based Vikasheel Insaan Party (VIP) led by Mukesh Sahni has already announced to contest UP election on 150 seats out of 403. Only time will tell if the Bihar based political parties would be able to make any impact in the UP election.
