Amid uneasiness over seat-adjustment talks between the Janata Dal (United) and its partner, the BJP, the former announced that it would be fighting in limited seats on its own in the upcoming Assembly polls in Mizoram, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
The party’s national executive took this decision at its meeting in New Delhi on Sunday.
“The Janata Dal (United) will contest the elections on its own in selected seats in Mizoram, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh,” party spokesperson K.C. Tyagi said after the meeting.
The party won one seat in Nagaland in the recent elections there and is part of the NDA alliance ruling the State. “Some people say we help the BJP, some say we don’t. We are a separate political entity and take decisions for ourselves,” said Mr. Tyagi.
In fact, the party passed a resolution opposing the Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2016 which is being opposed by several groups in Assam in the backdrop of the National Register of Citizens exercise.
“We received a delegation from the All Assam Students Union and have decided to oppose the Bill. Religion cannot be the basis of granting citizenship,” said the resolution. The party is keen to harness support in the northeast, and the resolution reflects those sensibilities.