JD(U) to contest Gujarat assembly elections

PATNA: JD(U) will contest the impending Guajarat assembly elections and BIhar chief minister Nitish Kumar will campaign against former ally BJP in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home turf.
JD(U) on Monday said it is in talks with prominent tribal leader Chhotubhai Vasava-led Bharatiya Tribal Party (BTP) to contest some of the seats. Vasava, who is a seven-term MLA from Gujarat's Jhagadia constituency, on Monday told a section of media in Gujarat that he spoke to Nitish on the issue of alliance between the JD(U) and the BTP.
"The BTP and the JD(U) are old friends and that is why we have decided to enter into a pre-poll alliance. We will help them and they will help us. The Bihar CM (Nitish Kumar) will visit Gujarat for poll campaigning. We aim to uproot the present (BJP) regime," BTP founder Vasava told reporters at Chanderia in Gujarat.
When contacted, JD(U) national general secretary Afaquae Ahmad Khan admitted that the JD(U) was in talks with Vasava's BTP for contesting the Gujarat polls in alliance. "Vasava is our own man. He was the JD(U) Gujarat unit president till 2017. We are identifying the constituencies where JD(U) can field its candidates," Khan said.
"Even if we (JD-U) couldn't contest the seats, our leader Nitish Kumar will campaign in Gujarat election against the BJP and seek votes in favour of the BTP candidates," Khan said, adding Nitish Ji had been going to Gujarat to campaign in favour of Vasava in the past also. Gujarat is going to vote in two phases on December 1 and 5. Counting of votes will take place on December 8. Nomination for the first phase began on November 5, while for the second phase it will begin on November 10.
The BTP had won two seats out of the six it contested in its maiden election in 2017. Prior to 2017, Vasava was the JD(U) MLA in Gujarat. He left JD (U) when Nitish realigned with BJP in Bihar in June 2017. Now as Nitish has once again dumped the BJP and realigned with the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan, Vasava has revived his old association with the Bihar CM.
Sources in JD(U) said Nitish's party would contest some seats in Gujarat only after it gets some formidable and strong candidates. The party would not hesitate in giving symbols to even rebels from other parties, if they have capacity to win the poll.