The Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), whose footprints are largely restricted to poll-bound Bihar, appears to have taken a cue from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and now seeks to make inroads into Uttarakhand.
The party has decided to contest on all 70 seats in 2022 assembly polls in the hill state.
The LJP has formed a core team that will look into the formation of all district and assembly-level segments in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled state.
The LJP is a BJP ally in the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) at the Centre.
Kedarnath Pundit, who heads the LJP in Uttarakhand, said the party is seriously considering making inroads into the hill state politics, as it seeks to emerge as an alternative to both the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress.
“We are focusing on getting as many new members as possible in each one of the 70 assembly segments. Priority in ticket allocation will be given to those candidates, who get maximum members for the party in their respective constituencies. Besides our traditional vote bank of backward and minority community, we are focussing on hilly areas and rural cluster voters in the state,” said Pundit.
Soon, a delegation of the party leaders will meet state chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat and submit him a memorandum regarding local issues being faced by the public.
“We want to play the role of a pro-active and constructive Opposition party. Issues related to both Kumaon and Garhwal regions will be effectively raised by our party in the coming days,” said Raghunath Kumar, state general secretary, LJP.
Kumar said that the LJP would not enter any alliance with regional outfits such as the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (UKD) because the latter failed to realise the aspirations of the public.
It would not be a politically expedient move to forge a tie-up with the UKD, he added.
