The Janata Dal (United) on Thursday said it will contest the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections in 2022 even if it does not manage to forge an alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party, PTI reported.

The Janata Dal (United) is an ally of the BJP at the Centre. They are also coalition partners in the Nitish Kumar-led Bihar government.

“Undoubtedly we are going to fight there [Uttar Pradesh],” the party’s parliamentary board chief Upendra Kushwaha said at a press conference in Patna. “Of course, we would prefer to do so in alliance with the BJP. Though if that does not materialise, we may choose to go it alone.”

Currently, the BJP is the single largest party in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly, occupying 312 of the 403 seats. The Janata Dal (United) does not have a single MLA in the Assembly.

Meanwhile, Kushwaha said that the Janata Dal (United) faced no challenge in the Bihar bye-polls scheduled to take place on October 30. The Kusheshwar Asthan and Tarapur Assembly seats were vacated after two Janata Dal (United) leaders died.

“Our victory is certain,” Kushwaha said. “We are only trying to ensure that the margin is big.”

In the 243-member Bihar Assembly, the ruling National Democratic Alliance holds 126 seats. The Janata Dal (United) has 43 of them.