Nitish Kumar: Nitish Kumar’s party move to field candidates in MP hints at cracks’ in INDIA block, JD(U) underplays | India News
PATNA: In a significant development, the JD(U) of chief minister Nitish Kumar has fielded candidates for five assembly seats in Madhya Pradesh assembly elections where its ally, the Congress, is trying hard to wrest power from the BJP.
JD(U) insiders said the party released its list of candidates after the party’s attempts to form an alliance with the Congress didn’t materialize.The five seats for which the JD(U) has fielded candidate include Pichhor (Chandrapal Yadav), Rajnagar (Ramkuwar (Rani) Rekwar), Vijayraghav Garh (Shiv Narayan Soni), Thadhla (Tol Singh Bhuriya) and Petlawad (Rameshwar Singhar), a Press release issued by JD(U) general secretary Afaque Ahmad Khan said.
A senior JD(U) leader said the party had sought a few seats from the Congress which didn’t win in the past over 20 years and where the former could win but the latter didn’t show any interest. “We wanted just five seats for us but our request was not considered,” the JD(U) official said.
“The Congress party must show large-heartedness and try to accommodate the interests of the smaller parties,” JD(U) national general secretary Rajib Ranjan told the TOI on Wednesday.
The BJP described the development as “sings of cracks” in the recently-formed opposition INDIA block but the state JD(U) leadership rejected the charge. “JD(U) doesn’t enjoy political hold even in Bihar, so who cares in MP?” asked state BJP chief Samrat Choudhary.
“The decision to field candidates in MP was taken with the objective to expand the party’s organizational base at the local level. Every party holds the right to contest elections but no political meaning should be drawn from it in the national context,” JD(U) chief spokesperson in the state Neeraj Kumar said in a video message.
The development, though, has not conveyed a good message ahead of the upcoming LS polls since it was chief minister Nitish Kumar who played the architect of the opposition unity as he held a series of talks with several opposition leaders and ultimately brought them on a single platform to unitedly take on the BJP.
The Congress played down the issue saying it was not going to impact opposition unity. “INDIA bock has been formed keeping in view the 2024 LS polls and we all are united. Yet this is also a fact that several regional parties have organizations in many states where their leaders want to contest elections. The JD(U) has been forced to field candidates apparently under pressure from the local leaders,” state Congress spokesperson Rajesh Rathore said, adding the Congress is in a straight fight with the BJP in states like MP, Chhattisgarh, and Rajasthan.
JD(U) insiders said the party released its list of candidates after the party’s attempts to form an alliance with the Congress didn’t materialize.The five seats for which the JD(U) has fielded candidate include Pichhor (Chandrapal Yadav), Rajnagar (Ramkuwar (Rani) Rekwar), Vijayraghav Garh (Shiv Narayan Soni), Thadhla (Tol Singh Bhuriya) and Petlawad (Rameshwar Singhar), a Press release issued by JD(U) general secretary Afaque Ahmad Khan said.
A senior JD(U) leader said the party had sought a few seats from the Congress which didn’t win in the past over 20 years and where the former could win but the latter didn’t show any interest. “We wanted just five seats for us but our request was not considered,” the JD(U) official said.
“The Congress party must show large-heartedness and try to accommodate the interests of the smaller parties,” JD(U) national general secretary Rajib Ranjan told the TOI on Wednesday.
The BJP described the development as “sings of cracks” in the recently-formed opposition INDIA block but the state JD(U) leadership rejected the charge. “JD(U) doesn’t enjoy political hold even in Bihar, so who cares in MP?” asked state BJP chief Samrat Choudhary.
“The decision to field candidates in MP was taken with the objective to expand the party’s organizational base at the local level. Every party holds the right to contest elections but no political meaning should be drawn from it in the national context,” JD(U) chief spokesperson in the state Neeraj Kumar said in a video message.
The development, though, has not conveyed a good message ahead of the upcoming LS polls since it was chief minister Nitish Kumar who played the architect of the opposition unity as he held a series of talks with several opposition leaders and ultimately brought them on a single platform to unitedly take on the BJP.
The Congress played down the issue saying it was not going to impact opposition unity. “INDIA bock has been formed keeping in view the 2024 LS polls and we all are united. Yet this is also a fact that several regional parties have organizations in many states where their leaders want to contest elections. The JD(U) has been forced to field candidates apparently under pressure from the local leaders,” state Congress spokesperson Rajesh Rathore said, adding the Congress is in a straight fight with the BJP in states like MP, Chhattisgarh, and Rajasthan.
