For its first foray into the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections since 2007, Bihar's ruling JD (U) is identifying seats on which it could contest and is likely to hand over the list to ally BJP soon, party spokesperson K C Tyagi told The Indian Express. Tyagi added that having Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar campaign in UP in the run-up to the polls would be significant for the ruling NDA – especially in the backdrop of the ongoing agitation against the farm laws. “We have started processing for identifying possible seats we wants to contest in forthcoming UP Assembly polls. These seats could be from Varanasi, Prayagraj, Deoria and Kanpur.” He added that the party was prepared before the 2012 Assembly polls in UP but had withdrawn at the BJP's request. “First, the Bihar CM has national appeal because of his high credentials. A leader of Nitish Kumar's stature could give a big plus to NDA. Second, he could also strike a fine balance by addressing a vast populace,” said Tyagi, in an oblique reference to the 10 per cent of OBC Patel population in the state. Asked about JD (U)'s poor showing in the 2007 Assembly polls in UP, Tyagi said: “In that election, even BJP had not done well. We had contested 20 seats and had got good votes on some seats.” This time around though, the BJP needs a stronger alliance because it's facing resistance because of the ongoing farm protests, especially in western UP, Tyagi added. JD (U) is also planning to contest the Assembly polls scheduled in Manipur. The party has been looking to expand its national footprint in order to bolster its position in the NDA.
