He said his party has asked for two seats in Maharashtra in Lok Sabha polls (File)
Union Minister Ramdas Athawale on Sunday said his Republican Party of India (A) can contest some seats in the next assembly elections in West Bengal.
He said the RPI(Athawale) wants to take along the Dalits, Muslims and people belonging to Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and general category to make the party strong in the state.
"I believe we can give candidates in some seats in the next Vidhan Sabha elections in West Bengal," the union minister of state for social justice and empowerment told reporters at a press conference here.
Assembly polls in the state are due in 2026.
Mr Athawale said his party, a constituent of the BJP-led NDA, has asked for two seats in Maharashtra and two in Uttar Pradesh to contest in the Lok Sabha polls.
"I met (BJP president J P) Nadda ji yesterday to seek two seats to contest in Uttar Pradesh," he said.
Mr Athawale, who was in the city to address a rally of RPI(A) supporters, said that the BJP is likely to win at least 25 seats, out of 42, in West Bengal in the coming general elections.
The BJP had won 18 seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls in West Bengal, while the TMC secured 22 and the Congress bagged two.
Stating that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is a seasoned politician, Athawale said that the JD(U) president was certainly confident of having a majority in the state assembly when he decided to go with the BJP leaving the 'Mahagathbandhan'.
The Nitish Kumar government will seek a trust vote in the Bihar assembly on Monday.
"I am sure that Nitish Kumar ji will win the floor test to be held tomorrow in the House," he said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)