BJP may avoid poll tie-up

The TDP had softened its stand and was willing to have a tie-up with the BJP. The party is, however, yet to decide whether it would share seats with the BJP or would formally join the NDA, the BJP leaders claim.

While the party was trying to expand the NDA, it was unwilling to have a tie-up with the Janata Dal in Karnataka because its state unit was against the deal.

quot;The BJP and its ally Lok Shakti led in 96 and 22 Assembly segments respectively out of total 224 in Karnataka in 1998 Parliamentary elections while the JD led only in 24 segments. We hope to get a majority in the coming Assembly elections on our own, without JD8217;s support,quot; explained BJP general secretary M Venkaiah Naidu today.

He also denied that Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee had spoken to Karnataka Chief Minister J H Patel as claimed by the CM. Naidu said he had talked to the Prime minister about press reports in this regard. However, Vajpayee told him that he had not contacted any of the Janata Dal leaders. If any JD member was interested in joining the BJP, the party could consider it on merit, he added.

But situation was different in Andhra where BJP, fighting 40 Lok Sabha seats on its own, could win only four last year, led in 32 Assembly segments and was runners up in 29 others. quot;Not being in a formidable position in Andhra Pradesh, we are willing for a tie-up with the TDP and it is the latter which has to take a decision,quot; Naidu claimed.

Meanwhile, the BJP has persuaded its ally in Maharashtra, the Shiv Sena, to go in for simultaneous Assembly and Lok Sabha polls so as to cash in on division of votes between Sharad Pawar8217;s Nationalist Congress Party and Sonia Gandhi8217;s Congress. The final decision would, however, be announced at coordination committee meeting of the two parties in Mumbai tomorrow.

The BJP today released a long list of achievements of its 16-month old Government, on the economic front as first installment of its an-achievement-a-day drive in response to Congress8217;s one-question-a-day campaign on Kargil.

It lists highest-ever foreign exchange reserve of 30,403 million, lowest inflation of 2 per cent during the past 20 years, highest-ever sensex, highest-ever food grain stocks, record foodgrain production and steady national currency, as indicators of improved economy.

The economy has vastly improved despite unprecedented collapse of economies in South East Asia, despite economic sanctions against India, Kargil aggression and political instability, claimed Naidu.