NDA allies strike deal in Bihar

NEW DELHI, JAN 29: The Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies reached an understanding on most of the seats in Bihar, two days after the la...

NEW DELHI, JAN 29: The Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies reached an understanding on most of the seats in Bihar, two days after the last date of withdrawal of nominations. The National Democratic Alliance partners are likely to release a common list of their candidates tomorrow and hope to persuade the quot;unofficialquot; candidates to retire from the fray.

The NDA did not have much problem in Haryana and Orissa, though after they agreed on the formula suggested by the Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pramod Mahajan, apparently on behalf of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.

The BJP will now contest 63 out of total 147 seats in Orissa, allowing its partner Biju Janata Dal to fight on 84 seats. The BJD president Navin Patnaik, who was not ready to contest on less than 100 seats, was ultimately persuaded by Mahajan to settle for the Parliamentary elections formula in which BJP and BJD contested 9 and 12 seats respectively.

Majahan also managed to pursuade the Indian National Lok Dal chief Om Prakash Chautalato agree on contesting 59 out of total 90 Assembly seats in the state, leaving 29 for the BJP. The remaining two seats would be spared for the Shiromani Akali Dal to contest in Haryana. Earlier, INLD was not ready to part with more than 25 seats for the BJP and the latter did not seem to settle for less than 35 seats. The BJP, though, agreed on contesting 30 seats and wanted the INLD to part with the two seats for the SAD. The party later reportedly relented on parting with one seat for SAD from its quota.

As per agreement reached between NDA constituents, the BJP would contest 150 out of total 324 seats, leaving 90 for Samata Party, 64 for Janata Dal U and 20 for Bihar People8217;s Party.

But the major problem of identifying the seats each constituent was to contest, remained to be resolved till an agreement was reached on almost 300 seats at a marathon meeting held at Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha8217;s house last night. They hope to resolve differences on the remaining 24 seats tonight and release acommon list of NDA candidates tomorrow.

The facade of unity among the NDA constituents might not last as they plan to appeal to quot;unofficial candidatesquot; to retire in favour of the official candidate may not succeed. Since candidates for the first phase of polls for 108 seats have already been alloted symbols and launched their campaigns, some of them may refuse to oblige their party leadership.

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Of the 108 seats in the first phase, BJP is contesting only 60 seats, leaving the rest for its partners as per the formula worked out by BJP leaders themselves. The seats allocated to the BJP in first phase include the 32 won by it 1995 polls, besides 28 on which its candidates were runners-up last time. Incidentally, 64 of the 108 seats going to polls on February 12 fall in Vananchal region South Bihar, a BJP stronghold.

By ensuring that BJP parted some seats for them in Vananchal, its allies want to ensure that they have a foothold in the new state as and when it is carved out, BJP leaders feel.