Janata Dal (United) national general secretary KC Tyagi on Sunday said the party's first priority is to contest Manipur and Uttar Pradesh elections in an alliance with the BJP while adding that JD(U) will contest independently in case there no alliance is formed.
Speaking to ANI, Tyagi said, "JD(U) will contest elections in Manipur and Uttar Pradesh. Our first priority is to contest forming an alliance with BJP. We will contest independently in case there no alliance is made."
The JD(U) had not contested the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections in 2017. The assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh and Manipur are due early next year.
Tyagi's remarks came after newly appointed JD(U) national president and party MP Rajiv Ranjan Singh on Saturday made it clear that the party is capable of contesting elections alone without being dependent on allies.
"We aim to make JD(U) a national party. I have held discussions with party leaders in Manipur and Uttar Pradesh. We will hold discussions with NDA partners. If they do not make us a partner in these states, we will fight and win the elections alone," said the JD(U) President while addressing party workers.
The JD(U) is an ally of the BJP in Bihar and the party's RCP Singh had been inducted into the union council of ministers when PM Modi reshuffled his cabinet recently.
Rajiv Ranjan Singh's comment comes at a time when opposition parties are in deliberation to form a united front against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Asked to comment on the JD(U) national president's statement, Congress leader Akhilesh Prasad Singh said every regional party holds the ambition of being a national party.
"Every regional party gives this kind of statement. They have the aspiration to become a national party. I believe there is nothing wrong with it," he said.
( With inputs from ANI )
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor