In an interesting political development, a new front is all set to be announced for the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections on Tuesday with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, former Jharkhand Chief Minister Babulal Marandi and former Union Minister Ajit Singh coming together on one platform at a political rally in Baraut near Meerut.
After the successful Bihar Mahagathbandhan, the JD(U), the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajtantrik) and the Rashtriya lok Dal (RlD) will forge an alliance. Interestingly, while the JD(U), the RJD and the Congress are alliance partners in Bihar Government, in Uttar Pradesh they wilk campaign against each other with the RJD partnering with the ruling Samajwadi Party and the Congress going solo. Before the Bihar elections, the JD(U), the RJD and the SP had made an unsuccessful attempt to form a grand major Janata Parivar alliance.
Sources said Nitish, senior JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav, RlD chief Ajit Singh, his son Jayant Chaudhary and poll strategist Prashant Kishor have conducted a series of meetings since March this year to work out the modalities. The RlD has been an important player in western Uttar Pradesh. Interestingly, Kishor is also the election strategist for the Congress which is fighting hard to resurrect itself in politically sensitive UP.
While Kumar roped in Marandi, his party colleague KC Tyagi held meetings with Ajit Singh and simultaneously Samajwadi Janata Party (Rashtriya) chief Kamal Morarka who too might experiment in the new UP poll alliance. The JD(U) is also believed to have held discussions with State regional party Peace Party which has a sizeable presence in eastern UP.
The RlD, which in the past called the shots in western UP with its Jat-Muslim combination, has been making attempts to strengthen itself in the region by hoping that Nitish, who has a pro-Muslim image, could help undo some of the damage done to the party in Muzzafarnagar riots in 2013.
A senior JD(U) leader said while a Janata Parivar merger could not happen due to various reasons, this could be seen in the perspective of merger of lok Dal parties.
last year, six splinter groups of erstwhile Janata Parivar had announced SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav as their leader. The parties were HD Deve Gowda-led Janata Dal-Secular, JD(U), lalu Prasad’s RJD, Om Prakash Chautala’s Indian National lok Dal, Kamal Morarka-led Samajwadi Janata Party and the SP. Not only the plan failed after SP announced differences with other allies in the camp, the party also fielded candidates against those of the ‘Grand Alliance’ in Bihar Assembly polls last year.