The JD(U) in Bihar does not want a showdown between Lalu Prasad and Ram Vilas Paswan — at least till elections. They want to face a united UPA to improve its tally in the Lok Sabha elections.

“A united UPA will surely suit the NDA as there will be a straight fight. The last Assembly elections showed that a fragmented UPA could scatter votes and eat into vote percentage of the JD(U),” JD(U) national spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Shivanand Tiwari told The Indian Express.

As compared to 22.36 vote percentage of the JD(U) in 2004 Lok Sabha elections, the party got 20.46 per cent votes in the last Assembly elections, and the JD(U) partner BJP got 15.65 per cent, which paved the way for the formation of a NDA government in the state.

The JD(U) has been cautiously watching moves of the LJP and RJD over their choice of candidates. The RJD, LJP and Congress are learnt to have agreed on contesting 22, 12 and six seats respectively. But Tiwari suggested the party can announce its candidates only after the UPA’s list is made public. “We’ll assess constituencies’ profile and opponents’ stature to decide candidates,” said Tiwari, adding the party would contest on 25 seats, one more than last time. The BJP has conceded Kisanganj seat to the JD(U), though amidst resentment among BJP cadres there.

While Bihar Assembly Speaker Uday Narayan Choudhary, often termed “partisan” by the Opposition, is likely to contest from reserved Jamui seat, senior leader George Fernandes has expressed his desire to contest from Muzaffarpur. The party, however, is in a bind over his failing health.

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