Lok Sabha elections 2014: Janata Dal (United) to support Arvind Kejriwal in Varanasi

PATNA: Janata Dal (United) has decided to support Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate Arvind Kejriwal in the elections from the high profile Varanasi seat in Uttar Pradesh where BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi is in the fray. JD(U) is opposed to both Congress and BJP, hence would support Arvind Kejriwal in Varanasi and a decision regarding it has been taken in the party, JD(U) spokesman Rajeev Ranjan Prasad said on Thursday.

Prasad said JD(U) has been playing a prominent role in bringing together non-BJP, non-Congress parties on a single platform to fight corruption and strengthen secularism. Another party spokesman Neeraj Kumar said the Varanasi JD(U) unit came out with a proposal to support the AAP to which the national leadership endorsed.

JD(U) president Sharad Yadav and general secretary K C Tyagi would campaign in favour of Kejriwal at Varanasi, he said. Since Kejriwal has shown the guts to fight communal forces, JD(U) took a stand to support him from the high profile seat, Kumar added. The JD(U)’s decision to support Kejriwal is not surprising, the support may not add value in terms of winnability but it reflects Nitish ’s antipathy for Narendra Modi.

Unlike so many other leaders including Lalu Prasad , the Bihar chief minister however has never been harshly critical of Kejriwal . In fact , he had made no secret in acknowledging the spectacular performance of the AAP in Delhi assembly elections. After kejriwal resigned as chief minister , Kumar even favoured re-election in Delhi ,a view in sync with AAP stand.

(With inputs from PTI.)