BJP,HJC form panel to decide on seats

While BJP and HJC has an agreement to contest equal number of seats in the 90-member Assembly,for Lok Sabha,the BJP will contest eight and HJC two seats. Besides retaining Hisar — Bishnoi is the MP from Hisar — the HJC also wants to contest from the Karnal Lok Sabha seat.

With Bishnoi being present at the meeting,leaders who are reportedly against the HJC-BJP alliance,chose to remain quiet. Several leaders in the BJP are not in favour of continuing the alliance with the HJC,especially after the party had chosen Narendra Modi as its prime ministerial candidate. Modi is known for his proximity with INLD chief Om Prakash Chautala.

According to sources,the time was not ripe to take up the issue and party high command was a better forum to raise concerns that the BJP-HJC alliance was weak against the Congress when compared to a BJP-INLD tie-up. “We know there already is a solid attempt to rope Chautala in as a partner… Hence,we thought that we will raise our demand at the level of the high command than here,” said a BJP leader.

In the Chautala government in Haryana from 1999-2005,BJP was the INLD’s ally,but parted ways later on. This is for the first time that BJP will contest the Lok Sabha elections in Haryana in alliance with HJC.

Asked about the possibility of any tie-up with INLD,Sharma asserted that BJP’s alliance with HJC was “final” and all other suggestions were “baseless”.

When contacted,Bishnoi too said the alliance was solid. “Chautalas,besides being corrupt,are apt at spreading rumours. They had been speaking against this alliance since its formation. The meeting stamped approval on the seat share arrangement and soon seats will be identified. We will be the first to decide and enter the poll arena in the state,” he said.

MUKESH BHARDWAJ

WITH PTI INPUTS