JAYS will go solo won't have truck with any political party for alliance in MP polls Hiralal Alawa

Indore, May 16 (PTI) Tribal outfit Jai Adivasi Yuva Shakti (JAYS), which will contest 80 seats in the upcoming Assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh, on Tuesday said they would not have a truck with any political party for an electoral alliance.
    JAYS national patron Hiralal Alawa told PTI in Indore they are preparing to contest on their strength.
    "Tribals are self-respecting. You will not see a single person from our community begging with a bowl. We will not extend our hand to any party for an alliance in the upcoming assembly elections. We are preparing to contest the elections on our own to build tribal leadership in the state,” he said on the occasion of the JAYS' 10th foundation day.
    JAYS plans to contest 80 assembly seats (out of 230) by fielding Independent candidates, including 47 reserved for the tribal community, he said.
    There are another 33 seats where the number of tribal voters ranges between 30,000 and 50,000, he said.
    JAYS had forged a political alliance with Congress in the 2018 Assembly elections. Alawa was elected on a Congress ticket from the Manawar seat in the tribal-dominated Dhar district.
    However, as the countdown for the assembly polls, due later this year, has begun, Alawa evaded a direct reply to a question on whether JAYS would remain with Congress or switch sides to go with BJP.
    "Right now, we are working as independent leaders of tribals. If we form an electoral alliance with any party, the decision will be based on considering the tribal interest," he said.
    Alawa dismissed "rumours" about his growing proximity with BJP. “We are not close to any political party."
    The organisation formed by highly-educated tribal youth is not currently registered with the Election Commission as a political party.
    The 2018 elections in MP threw up a hung Assembly, with the Congress emerging as the largest party with 114 seats in the 230-member House. The BJP won 109 seats.
    The Congress formed a coalition government under Kamal Nath, but it fell in March 2020 after several MLAs loyal to Jyotiraditya Scindia walked out and joined the BJP, paving the way for Shivraj Singh Chouhan to return as chief minister.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)