Patna: The Janata Dal United is eyeing Manipur, never mind all its 28 candidates losing in the Karnataka elections despite Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar campaigning.

Nitish's party organised a one-day political conference at the Lanyamba Shanglen Konung Mamang hall in Imphal, the capital of the northeast Indian state, on Sunday.

Asked why the conference was organised in Manipur, secretary general and chief spokesperson of the party K.C. Tyagi said: "Northeast has always remained a strong hold of socialist politics. Jayaprakash Narayan had raised the issue related to youths of Mizoram and Nagaland at the national level. Even Dr Ram Manohar Lohia was very active in the Northeast."

JDU Rajya Sabha member Harivansh was present, as was the party's northeast in-charge Afaque Ahmed Khan. The party also inaugurated its office in Imphal. The JDU won one seat in the last Assembly election in Nagaland. "Our next destination in the northeast is Manipur, and we will contest the upcoming Lok Sabha election over here," Tyagi said.

"Every party wants to expand their base, but first they (the JDU) should try to become the number one party in Bihar," quipped Congress MLC in Bihar Prem Chand Mishra.