Naqvi meets Ajit Singh, UP tie-up on cards

BJP vice-president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi met RLD chief Ajit Singh here on Wednesday.

BJP vice-president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi met RLD chief Ajit Singh here on Wednesday. After BSP supremo Mayawati8217;s announcement that her party would contest all 80 seats in the state, the two parties are said to be talking for a possible tie-up for the Lok Sabha elections.

8220;It was an informal meeting. Nothing more should be read into it,8221; said Naqvi. Ajit Singh, on the other hand, told The Indian Express: 8220;He Naqvi was in Bhagpat, and called up saying that he wanted to see me. There8217;s nothing more to it. I also met Deve Gowda during the day.8221;

The meeting, lasting a little over half-an-hour, saw the two sides 8220;exchanging notes8221;. A top RLD leader said alliance talks, as and when they happen, would involve 8220;more leaders8221;. It was BJP general secretary, in charge of elections in UP, Arun Jaitley, who initially floated the idea of a tie-up with the RLD during his visit to Lucknow for the state BJP executive meet some two months ago.

While party8217;s prime ministerial candidate L K Advani has been exploring options to improve party prospects from Uttar Pradesh, sending as many as 80 members to the Lok Sabha, party president Rajnath Singh, too, wants to have a say in his home state. While Jaitley is close to Advani, Naqvi is considered to be close to Rajnath.

There were two views initially in the BJP on a tie-up with the RLD. Rajnath has reservations over the quantum of seats to be given to Ajit Singh, but an alliance with the Jat-dominated party would interest him, especially when he is toying with the idea of contesting from Ghaziabad or Noida.

The RLD, too, had two views on a tie-up with the BJP. One influential MP, whose seat has a sizable BJP presence, was especially interested in a tie-up with the BJP. After having jolted by the BSP, the RLD, reports say, is coming around, and may eventually tie up with the saffron party.

Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh had spoken about the 8220;fickle nature8221; of Ajit Singh a couple of days ago, saying that the 8220;Jat leader could have achieved so much more if he had shown the steadfastness of his father Chaudhary Charan Singh8221;. The UPA Government had even renamed the Lucknow airport after the late Charan Singh hoping that the RLD would join the Congress camp.

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Ajit Singh, however, chooses to bide his time. 8220;I8217;m only worried about the police firing in Greater Noida on Wednesday that killed three farmers,8221; he told this paper, adding that 8220;there8217;s going to be a lull on alliance talks for some time to come8221;.