BJD, JD talks on seat-sharing fail

BHUBANESWAR, MAY 13: Talks between the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and the Janata Dal (JD) over seat adjustment in Orissa in the coming next Lo...

BHUBANESWAR, MAY 13: Talks between the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and the Janata Dal (JD) over seat adjustment in Orissa in the coming next Lok Sabha polls failed on Thursday on the issue of support to the Atal Behari Vajpayee government at the Centre.

BJD president Naveen Patnaik had invited Janata Dal Legislature Party (JDLP) leader Narasingh Mishra for the second round of talks which, however, did not progress further with Patnaik insisting that the JD MPs who win the polls from Orissa will have to extend their support to a Vajpayee-led government at the Centre.

Mishra, meanwhile, reiterated his stand that there was no question of the JD MPs extending support to a Vajpayee government while making it clear that the Dal MPs will also not support a Congress-led government at the Centre.

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Patnaik is reported to have said that installing a Vajpayee-led government at the Centre after the coming Lok Sabha polls was the only issue before the BJP and its allies. He maintained that there seat adjustment with anyparty could not be possible if the BJD did not announce its decision to support a BJP-led government.

Mishra’s suggestion of seat adjustment on the plank of a Congress defeat in the polls was reportedly cancelled by Patnaik who said that such an arrangement could be made for the assembly polls.

Meanwhile, the meeting of the core committee of the JD has been convened on May 14 to decide on the next course of action for the party. The core committee headed by State JD president Ashok Das was constituted by JD national president Sharad Yadav to explore possibilities of alliances with other political parties taking into account the ground reality.

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