Leadership issue may pose problem for BJP-BJD in Orissa

But apparently the BJP is not yet prepared to toe that line.

This was evident from the utterances of BJP legislature party leader Biswabhushan Harichandan who said the elected representatives would choose the next chief minister.

Harichandan, while predicting a rout for the ruling Congress in the elections, told newsmen here on Wednesday that this has been made clear by BJP’s national general secretary Pyare Lal Khandelwal.

Apparently BJP leaders do not want to project Patnaik as the nextchief minister, at least for the moment, in the event of the alliance winning the polls.

While BJD leaders are demanding a major chunk of seats for their party, the BJP strategists are reluctant to concede too many seats to their partner.

Harichandan said winning prospects of the candidates should be the sole criterion for sharing of seats.

Initial discussions had started between both parties for sharing of seats and BJP state president Manmohan Samal had been authorised to negotiate the matter with the BJD, he informed.

Harichandan said formal talks for seat sharing between the two parties will start after the BJP’s national executive meeting to be held on December 28 and 29.

Allaying apprehensions in the media that the seat sharing exercise would lead to a lot of problems between the allies, Harichandan said that this issue will be settled as amicably as it had been done during the Lok Sabha polls.

The BJD and BJP had contested 12 and nine Lok Sabha seats in the last polls with the formerwinning ten of the constituencies and the latter sweeping all nine.