JDU to fight Jharkhand assembly polls

Ranchi: Nitish Kumar-led JDU, which is in power in Bihar, has decided to contest assembly elections in Jharkhand. A proposal to this effect has been passed at JDU’s national working committee meeting in Delhi on Saturday.
Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Jha is also unanimously chosen as the working president and a four-member committee under him has been constituted to explore JDU’s possibilities during the assembly polls in Jharkhand.Talking to TOI, party’s Rajya Sabha MP from Bihar Khiru Mahto confirmed party’s plans in Jharkhand. He said, “During the meeting, a resolution to contest the Jharkhand assembly elections has been passed. A four-member committee will soon visit Jharkhand to tour different constituencies to assess our strengths and weaknesses to prepare for the polls.” Jharkhand has 81 assembly seats. He said that the number of seats they plan to contest will be announced in the coming months. Notably, JDU is part of BJP-led NDA.
In last assembly polls, BJP didn’t accommodate JDU as an ally for state elections here. Mahto said, “Not just JDU, even AJSU-P wasn’t given seats by BJP and the saffron camp chose to fight alone on all seats. That was one of the reasons why BJP got thrown out of power in 2019. If BJP has to form govt in Jharkhand, it must take allies together to prevent spilt in votes and take on INDIA bloc. Once we finalise on the number of seats and possible candidates we intend to fight in Jharkhand based on our support base, talks with BJP and others will be initiated.”