Varanasi: Janata Dal (United) chief and Bihar health minister Nishant Kumar—son of Bihar’s former chief minister Nitish Kumar—will be exploring the party’s possibilities for contesting the forthcoming UP assembly polls in 2025. He is scheduled to address a state-level workers’ meeting in Korauta area in Varanasi on Oct 25.In view of JD(U)’s past unsuccessful stint of contesting 27 seats in 2022, the party is expected to contemplate whether it should pressurise its senior NDA partner BJP to spare some seats for it, or contest independently this time too.On being contacted, JD(U) UP unit president Anoop Singh Patel said mobilisation of party leaders and workers from all districts across UP has been initiated for Nishant Kumar’s first major political appearance outside Bihar. Kumar will be addressing JD(U) cadres and testing organisational response beyond Bihar at Korauta ground on Oct 25 when the party’s senior leaders like Sanjay Jha and others will be present.Selection of the meeting venue in Kurmi-dominated Korauta area by JD(U) for its proposed event is aimed at focusing on Kurmi-Kushwaha-dominated assembly areas.In 2022, JD(U) sought around 50 seats to contest as part of National Democratic Alliance, but on finding no positive response to a seat-sharing agreement from BJP, JDU decided to go solo. The party tried its luck on 27 seats but failed to secure any. It failed to draw the attention of any political party as its vote share remained around 0.11%.Although BJP already has partners in NDA, like Apna Dal (Sonelal), which has a stronghold on Kurmi votes, the consolidation of OBC votes gave it a setback on many seats in the 2022 assembly election and also the 2024 Lok Sabha election, especially in Purvanchal (east UP) region. Party sources said that of 403 assembly constituencies, JD(U) is eyeing 60 seats in the Kurmi-Kushwaha-dominated region, especially in Purvanchal and districts adjoining Bihar, where the image of Nitish and Nishant could help make the party’s presence felt by NDA’s senior partner and subsequently give it bargaining power.
