New Delhi: The JD(U) will contest all 403
assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh, party chief Sharad Yadav said
on Wednesday after failure of talks with NDA ally BJP for a tie-up.
"We will contest on all 403 seats in Uttar Pradesh and
list of more candidates will be issued in coming days,"Yadav
told reporters after announcing the first list of 32
candidates.
He said the party's negotiations with BJP to contest the
elections together in the state have failed.
"We had discussions with several top leaders in BJP like
party chief Nitin Gadkari, Sanjay Joshi, Rajnath Singh but
unfortunately the talks could not yield any result and they
issued the list. So we have now decided to go ahead with our
strategy to contest the election," he said.
On post-poll alliance with BJP, Yadav said, "Those
discussions will happen in future and we will decide when it
happens."
Promising to repeat the Bihar's performance, Yadav said
the entire party leadership including Bihar Chief Minister
Nitish Kumar will join the campaign in UP.
JD(U) has formed a three member team of its General
Secretary KC Tyagi, Rajya Sabha member from Bihar RCP Singh
and UP party chief Suresh Niranjan Bhaiya to supervise the
campaign and elections in the state.
Some of the people who have been given the ticket include
farmer leader from UP Manveer Singh Teotia who shot to
fame after the agitation in Bhatta-Parsaul, ex-BSP MLA
Brijesh Mishra. who joined JD(U) recently, and former DGP and
ex-Minister of the state Mahendra Singh Yadav.
Replying to a query whether the development indicates a
rift between JD(U) and BJP, he said, "There is no such thing.
We have a nation-wide coalition and we all work on the basis
of a Common Minimum Program. We don't have any complain with
the BJP there."
He also attacked parties for inducting tainted leaders in
their camp ahead of the elections.
"Politics should remain clean and it can't survive if
tainted people are given tickets just to contest and win
elections," he said, adding that the JD(U) will campaign
against the such candidates.
"UP has turned into a pond where the candidates are moving
in all directions just like fish. Parties have closed their
eyes just to win election. Elections without good ideology,
discipline and clean behaviour will never be able to reform
the nation," Yadav said.
PTI
First Published: Wednesday, January 04, 2012, 19:34