PATNA, Nov. 2 -- Bihar health minister Nishant Kumar said on Sunday that his party was exploring the possibility of fighting upcoming assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh as an ally of the BJP-led NDA. Nishant, the son of JD(U) supremo Nitish Kumar, was in Varanasi with party leaders like Sanjay Jha, Shrawan Kumar, Jama Khan and others. The JD(U) has been contesting polls in UP and it won two seats in 2002 and one in 2006. "At present, there have been no formal talks with the BJP, but our senior leaders are discussing the matter and a decision will soon be taken. My effort is to take my father, former Bihar CM Nitish Kumar's development mindset forward and create a strong platform for the party," he told media persons in Varanasi. Maintaining that the JD(U) is basically a Bihar party, Nishant said that the party has had its presence in many states and its presence has been strong in the north-east. "In UP, we are planning to jump into the electoral fray as an NDA ally," he added. He, however, said that formal talks in this regard with the BJP had yet to happen. "It will happen at the earliest. I have come because the party workers in UP have wanted this for a long time," he added. Nishant Kumar is spreading his wings beyond Bihar for the first time and party leaders feel that the forthcoming UP election could give him the ideal launch, though it is still not clear how many seats the party would like to contest in UP as part of the NDA. After attending the party's state-level workers conference in Varanasi on Sunday, he will also attend similar party programmes in Lucknow, Balia, and Barabanki in the coming weeks. Party leaders say that preparations have been made so Nishant could get a hang of the organisation in UP to strengthen it ahead of elections. The party wants to focus on Poorvanchal areas. In the 2022 Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, the JD(U) contested 26 seats but could not open its account, securing just 0.11% of the total vote share. In 2017, the party did not contest any seat in UP, while in 2012 it contested 219 seats but won none. The party won one seat in 2007 when it contested 16 seats and two seats in 2002 out of 16 seats. Sanjay Jha appreciated Nishant Kumar, saying he has given strength to the JD(U) and Bihar politics would revolve around the party the next 100 years. "Nishant will keep the party stronger for the next 50 years and rebuild on the huge legacy of Nitish Kumar. Nishant has joined politics on people's demand to give answer to Doubting Thomases who had started writing epitaph of JD(U). He is the face after Nitish Kumar that people trust," said Jha....