New Delhi: Notwithstanding BJP`s announcement
that it will contest the upcoming Assembly elections alone,
the party`s close ally JD(U) has given it a list of 53 seats
which it wants to fight in the state.
The JD(U) identified these seats on the basis of what it
contested in the last Assembly elections along with Apna Dal,
a small regional party, JD(U) General Secretary K C Tyagi, who
has handed over the list to BJP.
"After death of Apna Dal founder Sonelal Patel, many of
its important leaders have crossed over to JD(U). Hence we
have included the entire 53 seats for ourselves this time,"
Tyagi said.
BJP is yet to respond to this.
JD(U) national spokesman Shivanand Tiwari also justified
the party`s desire to contest 53 seats in the 403-member
Assembly.
Tyagi said most of the seats identified fall in the
districts bordering Bihar, where the party registered a
stupendous victory under leadership of Nitish Kumar last year.
"The JD(U) thinks that people in these areas have the
same social composition as that in Bihar and have hopes from
Nitish Kumar`s party. Hence there is strong chance of
repeating the Bihar`s performance there," said Tyagi, a close
confidante of party national president Sharad Yadav.
Tyagi said his party is waiting for a response from BJP
to move forward on the seat-sharing issue in UP where
elections is expected early next year.
The submission of the list comes even as BJP leader L K
Advani announced last week that his party would go it alone in
Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
PTI
"No, we don`t wish to have any alliance in Uttar Pradesh
because we know who are the others," Advani said in
Thiruvananthapuram when asked by reporters if the BJP was
looking for any alliances in UP.
BJP sources said the local unit of the party and some
other sections are opposed to any pre-poll alliance. But a
section of party leadership wants a tie-up with JD(U), noting
that it is a long-term NDA ally.
When pointed to Advani`s assertion, Tyagi said "we have
not heard anything like this from them officially. But, if the
BJP communicates such a decision to us, we will welcome it and
go alone in the husting in UP."
"Even our JD (U) friends from Bihar want to go alone in
UP, but we want our 15-year friendship with BJP to go on. But
if they decide to go alone, it will not be a setback for us,"
Tyagi said.
While BJP and JD(U) are yet to settle the issue, other
major parties like Samajwadi Party, BSP and Congress have
begun allocating seats to their candidates.
PTI
