BJD, BJP squabble over Kalahandi

Sangeeta Devi had contested the last Lok Sabha elections on a BJP ticket from Bolangir and had given the Congress and Janata Dal candidates a run for their money though the poll result was that Congress candidate Sarat Patnaik had defeated Dal candidate A U Singhdeo.

But, now the BJD wants the Bolangir seat for A U Singhdeo, who is a founder member of the party and its vice-president. He is also a friend of BJD president Naveen Patnaik.

As regards the Kalahandi seat, preliminary talks between the two parties have not achieved anything. This time it was former union minister Bhakta Charan Das who was the stumbling block. He had won the last elections on a Samata Party ticket and when the party split Das remained with his mentor Chandra Shekhar.

Das is now hobnobbing with the BJD, sources said, hoping to get a safe seat. In fact, he had come to Bhuba-neswar recently to discuss the matter with BJD leaders and might join the BJD soon, sources predict. However, the Kalahandi seat will determine whether he does so or not. But, the BJP which has two MLAs from the region is likely to remain firm over the seat.

In fact, Political Affairs Committee (PAC) members of the BJD were worried enough over the BJP’s demands to meet here yesterday and discuss the party’s prospects for the elections. The BJD leaders, sources informed, took a “tentative” decision to take into account the results of the 1996 Lok Sabha and the 1995 Assembly polls when discussions on seat adjustments are held with the BJP.

A BJD leader told The Indian Express on that the BJP state leadership has become ambitious after the party’s successful rally at Bhubaneswar and is now demanding seats from the coastal belt.