Nitish Kumar's JDU plans 75-seat West Bengal election entry; asks BJP to consider alliance

As West Bengal prepares for elections for the 294-member state Assembly next year, another political party has decided to throw its hat in the ring and contest the polls. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JDU on Thursday asserted that it was looking forward to contesting a substantial number of seats in the West Bengal assembly elections, in which its ally BJP has high stakes.

JDU national general secretary Ghulam Rasool Baliyavi said the party's unit in West Bengal wants to contest at least 75 seats and the number could go up, subject to the approval of the leadership, according to news agency PTI. The BJP, which put up a brilliant performance in the state in last year's Lok Sabha polls, is looking to unseat the ruling Trinamool Congress, headed by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

'...every party has the right to expand its own base': JDU leader

"We have contested assembly elections in West Bengal in the past. We would like to do so this time also. Our party has carried out massive membership drives in districts such as Malda, Murshidabad, Purulia and Bankura," Baliyavi said. The JDU leader said the party was hopeful of doing well in places which has a high percentage of people hailing from Bihar, and claimed that the good governance of Nitish Kumar has created a buzz in the neighbouring state.

The JDU has been maintaining that its alliance with the BJP was confined to Bihar. The party has fought in states like Karnataka and Gujarat without a tie-up with the BJP, which is in power. In Jharkhand, where BJP lost power last year, the JDU had contested separately. However, the JDU fought the Delhi assembly polls earlier this year in alliance with the BJP.

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Replying to a query, Baliyavi said, "I am of the opinion that the BJP should think in terms of taking Nitish Kumar along. If it chooses otherwise, then every party has the right to expand its own base." On Thursday evening, a party delegation from West Bengal met Nitish Kumar at the JDU's state headquarters. The Chief Minister, however, claimed the talks were not centred around the assembly polls in the neighbouring state.

"Our party's national executive and national council meets are scheduled here next week. In this connection, delegates from various states have been coming to share their inputs. Those from Bengal were also here but there was nothing more to it as of now," Kumar said in reply to questions from reporters.

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(With PTI inputs)