BJP fears Uma may negate their Maya advantage

Hoping to benefit from the presence of BSP candidates in Punjab elections, BJP poll managers are keeping their fingers crossed for the moment...

Hoping to benefit from the presence of BSP candidates in Punjab elections, BJP poll managers are keeping their fingers crossed for the moment. For, they apprehend that Bharati8217;s nominees may neutralise their gains.

Normally dismissive of Bharati8217;s potential to damage BJP beyond her home state Madhya Pradesh, party strategists talk in terms of her potential in Punjab now. However, they are quick to allege a clandestine deal between Bharati and the Congress. The alleged common strategy 8212; a division of hardcore Hindu votes.

Bharati, who had initially declared her intention to field around 35 nominees for the 117-member House on her Bharatiya Janshakti tickets, has fielded just 18 persons. She has extended her support to 11 more candidates, taking the tally to 29. Most of them are pitted against the BJP, which is contesting 23 seats in alliance with Akali Dal. To cap it, Bharati is busy campaigning intensively in the state with former Delhi chief minister Madan Lal Khurana, new working president of her party, following suit.

8220;Every Single vote, which goes to the Bharatiya Janshakti in any of our constituencies is ours,8221; sources in the BJP said. Apart from this over-all damage, at least one candidate from Bharati8217;s party, former legislator Ram Lal, poses a serious challenge to Bishambar Dass of BJP in Narot Mehra constituency. Having represented the constituency twice8212;in 1985 and 19978212;he is trying his luck on Bharati8217;s ticket after being ignored by the BJP.

Another Janshakti candidate, Anil Kumar, is giving sleepless nights to SAD candidate Jasjit Singh Bonney in Kharar. Naturally, it would not be a surprise if BJP sympathisers opt for a Hindu candidate. And just in case it happens, the VIP-son would have a tough contest at hand.

Bharati, who has not had much time to organise her state unit, has propped up a body headed by an erstwhile Congressman Pawan Valecha. A close relation of Haryana Industries Minister Lachchman Dass Arora, Valecha was initially an aspirant of a ticket from Jalalabad constituency in Ferozepur district under a seat-sharing deal with Akali Dal. The BJP, however, pre-empted any such deal by Akali Dal with its splinter group.