With new front, Nitish seeks to extend reach to UP

According to sources, among the demands put forward by Ajit Singh for the new entity to take shape is that his son Jayant Chaudhary, grandson of former PM Charan Singh, is made its chief ministerial candidate.

However, sources said that if the Congress decides to join hands with the new entity but insists on its own chief ministerial face, Chaudhary will be projected as the deputy chief ministerial candidate.

“We are shooting in the dark. But we see nothing wrong in that. If we can ally with the Congress, we will seriously try to win 80-100 of the 404 assembly seats. If we succeed in UP by making our presence felt, history will be made. That’s the only way to stop Narendra Modi from getting re-elected in 2019,” a senior leader of JD(U) told The Indian Express.

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Sources said the political partnership of Nitish Kumar, who belongs to the backward Kurmi caste, and Ajit Singh, a prominent Jat face, “makes sense”. Jats play a dominant role in at least 57 seats while Koeris and Kurmis constitute more than five per cent of the population in at least 190 seats.

With Congress in the fold, they can pitch for Brahmin and Muslim votes, too, said sources in the JD(U). “With the rise in stature of Nitish Kumar, who won the vote in Bihar despite the BJP fielding Prime Minister Modi as its prime campaigner, Muslims of Uttar Pradesh will get one more option,” said a leader who helped stitch the new alliance.

With Nitish Kumar becoming the president of JD(U) on April 10, Ajit Singh’s demand to be the head of the new party stands no chance, said sources. “Nitish Kumar will be the president of JVP,” said a senior negotiator involved in the talks.

Jharkhand Vikas Morcha, led by Babulal Marandi, is also set to join the new entity with Marandi expected to become its senior vice president. Sources said that a few smaller parties have also decided to join the Nitish Kumar-led political experiment.

The new party’s symbol hasn’t been finalised. But if Deve Gowda, president of Janata Dal (S), agrees, JVP will demand the wheel symbol held by the Janata Dal in 1998. When the Dal split in 1999, the EC had not allotted the symbol to any faction.