Janata Dal (United)

Abbreviation

JD(U)

Founded

2003

Founder(s)

Formed by the merger of the Samata Party and Janata Dal (Sharad Yadav faction)

Main base

Bihar

Formed in 2003 through a merger of Janata Dal factions and the Samata Party. Led by Nitish Kumar, it has governed Bihar for most of the period since 2005.

Milestones

• 2003 Formed by merger
• 2005 Leads Bihar government

Election record at a glance

• Contested 6 Lok Sabha general elections under this name, from 1999 to 2024.
• First won Lok Sabha seats in 1999 (21). Best result: 21 seats in 1999. Total seats won across all elections: 79.
• Highest vote share: 3.10% in 1999.
• In 2024 it contested 16 seats in 1 state/UTs and won 12, with 1.25% of all votes polled.
• In Tamil Nadu it has contested 3 Lok Sabha elections without winning a seat.