Patna, Feb 3 (IANS): In a bid to achieve a national status, the JD(U) is preparing to contest the Nagaland Assembly polls scheduled to be held on February 27.

The party's national president Lalan Singh visited the northeastern state on January 29-30 and addressed two back-to-back rallies in an effort to win the trust of Bihari voters as well as the people of Nagaland.

Afaq Khan, the JD(U) incharge for Nagaland, said that the party contested 13 seatsin 2018 but managed to win one.

"We will contest over 14 seats this time with an ambition to win more than four with a 6 per cent vote share," Khan said.

The JD(U) has announced the names of two candidates and is expected to reveal the other contenders by Saturday.

Presently, JD(U) is recognised as a state party in Bihar, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur.

If it achieves more than three seats or 6 per cent the votes, it will automatically gain national status.

In 2003, the JD(U) won two seats and 5.8 per cent votes, but in 2008, the party failed to win a single seat.

In 2013 and 2018, it won one seat.

"We are raising three main issues in Nagaland. The BJP formed the government last time but failed to resolve the unrest in certain sections in Nagaland. It has failed to bring peace in the region. Besides, the BJP has been breaking other parties in the northeastern for the past some years and it would be an issue we are raising apart from pointing out the work done by the Nitish Kumar government in Bihar," said Neeraj Kumar, MLC and chief spokesperson of the party.