“GOOD GOVERNANCE, law and order and corruption are the key issues for Uttar Pradesh assembly polls which the Janta Dal United will be taking up, and the party will give its tickets to candidates with no criminal record. We want to set things right in Uttar Pradesh and as the people of state have seen the (mis)rule of both Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party, they want change and I feel the NDA (National Democratic Alliance) is the only option left which can give the people of state a government which would focus on the development of state and work for the poor people as it is doing in Bihar under the dynamic leadership of Nitish Kumar,” said Janta Dal United state general secretary Subhash Pathak here in Lucknow.

Pathak said his party Janta Dal United was concentrating more on the eastern districts of Uttar Pradesh. As the region has proximity to Bihar, the people of the region were well aware of the developments that have been taking place in Bihar. “The state government has taken some tough measures to put a curb on the incidents of corruption and in this regard the government has attached the property of high bureaucrats and the commitment of Nitish Kumar to establish the office of Lokpal in Bihar has won accolades from all quarters,” asserts Subhash Pathak.

Pathak told that talks were on with the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) on seat sharing in UP polls and he expressed hope that soon some formula would be worked out. He said JDU would be contesting on some 50 seats and the exact number o seats and the final list of candidates will be announced soon. The list of candidates is almost in the final stage and the party top leadership can announce its decision anytime now.

“JDU will fight elections along with the BJP here in Uttar Pradesh and the party is committed to open its account in the state assembly this time. The party has asked its workers to pull up their socks and reach out to the masses with a message that the party wants to contest elections by keeping the Bihar state model in mind, and after the JDU-BJP coalition won record seats in Bihar, there is no doubt that the coalition will return to power in Uttar Pradesh,” said Pathak.