The JD(U) will not contest Assembly election in Uttar Pradesh. The party took this decision after taking into confidence the leaders of the neighbouring State and the probable candidates. The JD(U) leadership has however, blamed both Congress and Samajwadi Party for ignoring the party while stitching alliance. The two day meeting of JD(U) which discussed various issues besides UP polls was chaired by party president and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
Briefing about the discussion on Wednesday JD(U) national secretary general K C Tyagi also said that Nitish would not go to campaign for the secular alliance if he was invited by the leaders of SP and Congress.
“We have decided to keep away off the UP election in order to avoid any division of secular votes which might indirectly help the BJP. But we wished that the experience of Bihar’s grand alliance experience be followed in UP. It is unfortunate that it could not happen,” said Tyagi who had been instrumental in arranging over half a dozen meetings of Nitish in various parts of UP before the announcement of the polls.
Bihar Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh lalan who was also present at the press conference added sarcastically, “We will pray for their success from Patna.” “For making a grand alliance the parties should heartily agree to fight against the communal and divisive forces like we did in Bihar,” said Tyagi and added that this could not be achieved in UP.
Senior JD(U) leader and Nitish’s confidante RCP Singh refused to comment on why hiss party was ignored by the SP and Congress. Singh, a former IAS officer of UP cadre, had labored hard in UP during the past six months to prepare ground for JD(U) and at one stage was projected as CM face in UP by Nitish was obviously disheartened with the happenings in UP.
The JD(U) was expected to contest 70 Assembly seats in five divisions in UP and many of the probable candidates were present here at the Tuesday meeting which decided against fighting election. “Many of them had already spent good amount of money in their constituencies,” Singh said.
It is to be recalled that Nitish after getting upset with The Samajwadi Party patriarch Maulayam Singh Yadav in July 2015 when the proposal of a grand alliance and unification of former constituents of Janata Parivar had offered only two seats to the SP in November 2015 Bihar polls. It had been turned down and SP fielded over 50 candidates, all of them lost their security deposits and were taunted as BJP helpers. In a retaliatory move the SP reportedly offered two seats to JD(U) which was unacceptable to Nitish.
While blaming Congress too for ignoring JD(U), Nitish has sent a strong message to the Congress for future alliance. Presently Congress is a partner of grand alliance and also in the Nitish ministry.