Japan Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda (left) interacts with Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar in New Delhi on Wednesday. Telegraph picture

Patna, Dec. 28: Aware of the JD(U)’s marginal existence in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar is likely to limit himself to the “behind the scenes role” in the run-up to the Assembly poll in the neighbouring state.

That Nitish would shy away from playing a pro-active role in the UP affairs became evident when he parried a question on if he would discuss the affairs of the poll-bound state with the party president, Sharad Yadav. “I will not get involved in the UP polls as of now. I am going to attend the Prime Minister’s dinner for his Japanese counterpart,” he said.

“I will be back here to go on my Seva Yatra to Aurangabad district tomorrow,” the chief minister said, showing ostensible reluctance to discuss UP polls with the reporters.

The JD(U) is not entirely without stake in UP, though. Sources close to the chief minister said he would work to ensure his Bihar-based rival parties, mainly Lalu Prasad’s RJD and Ram Vilash Paswan’s LJP, did not score over the JD(U) in the neighbouring state.

Despite the reports of the initial “abrogation” of the seat-sharing talks between the BJP and the JD(U), senior NDA leaders here were “hopeful” of a “suitable understanding” between the NDA partners in UP eventually.

“The JD(U)’s UP unit asked for 53 seats, which was not practical. The BJP is still ready to spare 20-22 seats for the JD(U),” said a senior BJP leader here, adding that Nitish would talk to senior BJP leaders in New Delhi. “We are aware that losing out a political partner in a battle to stage a comeback in India’s most populous state is not good from the psychological point of view. The senior leaders will sort the things out,” he said.

Nitish refused to comment on the tie-up between the BJP and the JD(U) in the context of the UP polls but he was quite acerbic on the Congress, making it abundantly clear that the JD(U) and the BJP considered the Congress its prime rival at the national-level.