Top Janata Dal (United) leaders, including Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, are yet to campaign in Uttar Pradesh, where the party has fielded candidates in 29 constituencies.

The BJP, which is an alliance partner of JD(U) in Bihar and at the Center, had earlier snubbed JD(U)’s offer for a poll tie-up in U.P.

Significantly, another ruling NDA constituent in Bihar, Vikashil Insaan Party (VIP), has put up candidates in 54 constituencies, mostly in eastern part of U.P., and is said to be creating more buzz there than the JD(U). “My party candidates will definitely help the BJP in some seats,” said party chief Mukesh Sahani, who is Minister for Animal Husbandry and Fisheries in the NDA Government in Bihar.

In pre-poll exercise, the JD(U) had held several rounds of meeting with BJP leadership to form an alliance in U.P. The party had demanded around 51 seats from the BJP and authorised Rajya Sabha member and Minister in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Cabinet R.C.P. Singh to hold negotiations. However, the BJP did not take this up and the JD(U) went on to field 29 candidates.

In the party’s list of star campaigners are Nitish Kumar, R.C.P. Singh and party president Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh, but so far none of them has campaigned in U.P. However, a few other party leaders and Ministers in Nitish Kumar’s cabinet like Sanjay Jha, Shrawan Kumar and Ashok Choudhury have campaigned for some candidates in the fray till the third phase of poll that ended on February 20. “The campaign programme of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and R.C.P. Singh has not been finalised, but our party president Lalan Singh is likely to campaign from the sixth phase”, State JD(U) president Umesh Kushwaha told Rashtra News.

VIP chief Mukesh Sahani, on the other hand, has been campaigning hard for his party candidates. Mr. Sahani has been referring to former bandit queen turned politician Phoolan Devi in his speeches and distributing her posters and statues, apparently to woo voters of Mallah / Sahani (fishermen) community whose sizeable number could play a decisive role in many assembly constituencies of eastern U.P.

“My party candidates in river Ganga belt of eastern U.P. will definitely make a difference in the results there”, Mr. Sahani said. “Yes, VIP candidates are creating more buzz here than JD(U) candidates. They may not win, but will definitely help the BJP in some seats”, said Vijay Pandey of Bairiya in Ballia district which shares its border with Bihar’s Saran district.

Meanwhile, Bihar’s Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal has taken dig at top JD(U) leaders abstaining from poll campaigning in U.P. “In Bihar Assembly poll, JD(U) was reduced to third position after RJD and BJP, but they have put up candidates in U.P. where they have zero electoral presence. Top party leaders may not be venturing in, fearing people’s apathy”, RJD leader and spokesperson Mrityunjay Tiwari said.

State Congress leaders too echoed the view. “There is a palpable rift between top JD(U) leaders R.C.P. Singh and Lalan Singh over U.P. poll, so how can one expect them to campaign there? Who will take the blame for being out on zero?”, said a senior Bihar Congress leader, requesting anonymity.