JD-U names candidate for Arunachal West LS seat

The Janata Dal-United (JD-U) has announced its candidate for the Arunachal West Lok Sabha constituency, indicating ongoing differences within the INDIA bloc. The decision comes after the Congress announced its candidate for the Arunachal Pradesh East Lok Sabha seat. Congress came second in the 2019 LS polls, while the BJP won both seats. JD-U won seven seats in the assembly polls in Arunachal Pradesh and later had five MLAs join the BJP. Discussions are ongoing within the INDIA bloc about the next meeting and defining the role of JD-U president Nitish Kumar.

In an indication that the differences within the INDIA bloc members remain far from over, the Janata Dal-United (JD-U) on Wednesday named its candidate for the Arunachal West Lok Sabha constituency.

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar took over as JD-U national president from Lalan Singh last week. (PTI)

In a statement, JD-U general secretary Afaque Ahmad said the party’s state unit president Ruhi Tangung will be its candidate from the constituency. “This announcement is being made as directed by party president Nitish Kumar,” he said in a release issued on Wednesday.

Leaders familiar with the development said that the JD -U’s decision to announce its candidate from Arunachal Pradesh West Lok Sabha seat has come after the Congress announced the name of the candidate for Arunachal Pradesh East Lok Sabha seat a month back.

Arunachal Pradesh has two Lok Sabha seats.

“We have been interested in West Lok Sabha seat from very beginning. The Congress announced its candidate a month after INDIA alliance was formed. We also made our intentions clear to Congress and waited for its reply till December 19. After failing to get a response, the party president announced the name,” said a JD-U functionary, who did not want to be named.

When contacted for response, Bosiram Siram, working president of Arunachal Pradesh Congress, said, “I have no idea about the JD-U announcement or any seat sharing agreement. As of now, we have candidates for both the Lok Sabha seats and will wait for a green signal from our leadership on who would contest.”

Congress, the biggest member of the opposition alliance, had come second in the seat in the 2019 LS polls. The BJP had won both the seats from the state, where Assembly polls are held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha elections.

JD-U had contested the assembly polls in Arunachal Pradesh and won seven seats, against four to Congress, in the 60-member assembly. Later, five JD-U MLAs joined BJP in 2022.

Although not officially announced, the party has hinted that Bihar Legislative Council chairman Devesh Chandra Thakur would be its candidate from Sitamarhi Lok Sabha seat in Bihar in place of Sunil Kumar Pintu, the sitting JD-U MP, who is likely to join BJP.

Thakur, during the recent national executive meeting of JD-U, had claimed that his name was cleared by the party president.

In the meantime, RJD leader and Bihar’s deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav on Wednesday clarified that discussions were on among leaders of the INDIA bloc on the next meeting of the coalition, where some key decisions were expected.

“There are discussions going on with regard to dates and modalities. It will be made known to all when a headway is made,” he told reporters in Patna on Wednesday.

One of the key decisions expected at the meeting is defining the role of Bihar chief minister and JD-U president Nitish Kumar, who, as per speculations, could be made the convener of the alliance.

Kumar had led the efforts to bring together parties and leaders opposed to the BJP, which later culminated in the formation of INDIA (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance) last year.