The Hindu : JD(U)-BJP seat-sharing runs into rough weather again

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Mar 19, 2004

National

National

JD(U)-BJP seat-sharing runs into rough weather again

By Gargi Parsai

NEW DELHI, MARCH 18 . The seat-sharing exercise between the National Democratic Alliance partners, the Janata Dal (U) and the Bharatiya Janata Party, has run into rough weather in Karnataka and Jharkhand with uncertainty on two seats in Bihar. The JD(U) president, George Fernandes, will take up the issue with the Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani, when he joins his "rath yatra" tomorrow in Karnataka.

Late tonight, Mr. Fernandes and other party leaders, Sharad Yadav, Nitish Kumar and Digvijay Singh, reviewed the situation and decided to give a freehand to the State unit in Jharkhand to contest as many seats as it decided on. Sources said the party might go it alone on at least eight seats. Already four of its Ministers in Jharkhand are willing to resign from the Government to contest elections. JD (U) shares power with the BJP in the State and all the eight of its MLAs are Ministers.

After the BJP's decision to go it alone in Karnataka and Jharkhand, the NDA allies are all set to face each other in a "friendly contest" in the two States. Mr. Fernandes has said that the party will go it alone in 10 Lok Sabha and 95 Assembly seats in Karnataka. In Jharkhand also, the party will contest as many seats as it can of the 14 Lok Sabha seats. The BJP and the JD(U) share power in Jharkhand with all of JD (U)'s eight MLAs made Ministers. In the event of Mr. Fernandes shifting his constituency from Nalanda to Muzaffarpur in Bihar, the BJP will concede the seat. Otherwise there is a tussle for this seat which is held by Capt. Jainarain Nishad, who joined the BJP recently. Speculation is that if Mr Fernandes shifts to Muzaffarpur, his old constituency, then there is a possibility of the Railways Minister, Nitish Kumar, switching over to Nalanda from Barh.

What has upset JD (U)'s calculations in Jharkhand is BJP's refusal to share a single seat in this part of erstwhile Bihar. Earlier, the understanding was that if JD (U) gave up its claim on Sheohar seat in Bihar then the party could get Koderma and Chatra Lok Sabha seats in Jharkhand. But the BJP has already announced the candidature of its recent entrant, Anwar-ul-Haq's (formerly RJD-D) from Sheohar. The JD(U) had contested 25 seats out of 54 in the undivided Bihar in the last elections and its stand is that it should contest in as many seats from any part of the State.

Sources said the BJP is claiming the Koderma seat in Jharkhand for Babulal Marandi, the former BJP Chief Minister, while the JD(U) is considering fielding its State president, Gautam Sagar Rana. Instead, the JD(U) is being offered Rajmahal, held by the Congress, and Dumbka, represented by Shibu Soren (JMM). Four of the JD(U) Ministers are willing to resign from the Government to contest the elections.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National