JD(U) cadre push for Nitish to contest '24 polls from UP

Leaders and workers of the Janata Dal (United) or JD(U) want Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar to announce his candidacy for the Lok Sabha polls from Uttar Pradesh (UP), eyeing an opportunity to expand the party's footprint.

- Smriti Kak Ramachandran

According to people familiar with the demands within the party, there is a perception that the state government's decision of releasing the findings of the caste survey can weaken the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s hold over the OBCs, and that as the architect of the survey, Kumar, and by extension, the JD(U), could benefit.

A senior party functionary familiar with the thinking said there is a clamour for Kumar to pick a seat in neighbouring UP, which has a large percentage of OBCs, particularly Kurmis, the caste to which he belongs.

"The BJP has gained politically by getting the support of the OBCs in both the 2014 and 2019 general elections, but it was opposed to a caste census. There is an opportunity for the others, the JD(U), the RJD (Rashtriya Janata Dal) and the Samajwadi Party (SP) to consolidate their position as representatives of the OBC classes, as it is these parties that are pitching for a higher share for them in the reservation pie," added this person on condition of anonymity.