RJD and JD(U) to throw their hats in the Delhi ring

Emboldened over the success of Mahagatbandhan in Jharkhand, the RJD has asked Congress to form a similar alliance for Delhi Assembly polls where all parties, inimical to the BJP, come under one roof.

A meeting in this regard is slated to take place between the Congress and the RJD on Saturday wherein it would be emphasised that an alliance should be stitched in such a way so that non-BJP votes are not split.

On the other hand, the ruling Janata Dal (United) is also gearing up to throw its hat in the Delhi Assembly ring. The JD(U) national president Nitish Kumar, despite miserable performance in Jharkhand, has already indicated that his outfit would contest Delhi Assembly polls on its own as “we don’t have an alliance with the BJP outside Bihar.”

JD(U) national general secretary and spokesperson KC Tyagi said the party could contest 30 to 35 seats in Delhi. “Nitish ji has already made Bihar minister Sanjay Jha as in-charge of Delhi Affairs, and he is working out the modalities over the number of seats to be contested,” said the JD (U) leader.

Meanwhile, RJD sources said that the party has expressed its willingness to have a tie-up with the Congress in Delhi, which has a sizeable number of voters with Bihar origin. “Out of 70 Assembly seats, the RJD would like to contest in at least 10 constituencies in Delhi. A formal discussion will take place on Saturday,” said the RJD source.

The RJD had contested seven seats in Jharkhand (where it had alliance with the JMM and the Congress) and won one seat. The Congress contested 31 and won 16, while the JMM won 30 out of 43 seats it contested in December 2019 polls.