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BJP, BJD fall out in Orissa over seat-sharing

The Bharatiya Janata Party-Biju Janata Dal alliance in Orissa has run into rough weather with serious differences cropping up over seat-sharing in the coming assembly election.

The alliance partners, which fought the 1998 and 1999 Lok Sabha poll, are yet to arrive at a consensus over the number of seats each would contest. This, despite the fact that the poll process has picked up and nominations filed in 147 assembly seats.

Leaders of the BJD and BJP, who met in Delhi and discussed the issue with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, had failed arrive at a consensus.

However, senior BJD leaders were hopeful that a solution would be evolved in the next 24 hours. Thousands of BJD supporters thronged the airport as rumours spread that the alliance had broken down, and the leaders were returning to make a formal announcement.

BJD political affairs committee chairman Bijaya Mahapatra, who along with party secretary general Prasanna Acharaya and senior vice-president A U Singdeo arrived from Delhi, told reporters that they were trying their best to keep the alliance alive. He hoped a clear picture would emerge soon.

The BJP, which contested nine of the 21 Lok Sabha seats leaving 12 to the BJD in the last election, has been insisting that it be allowed to contest on a 50-50 basis. But the BJD rejected the proposition outright, saying the formula was not acceptable to a regional party having a strong base all over the state.

According to the BJD chairman, even the central BJP leaders do not subscribe to such a seat-sharing arrangement.

A last minute effort for a solution was still on in Delhi with BJD president Naveen Patnaik talking the matter over with the prime minister and Union Home Minister L K Advani.

If the alliance were to break over the issue, both the BJP and BJD would have no alternative but field candidates in all the 147 assembly seats.

BJP leaders in the state resents the BJD's projection of its president and Union Mines and Minerals Minister Naveen Patnaik as the chief ministerial candidate. Some of the leaders had even openly criticised the move. But the central BJP leaders, Acharaya said, were not averse to the idea.

Sources said a final round of discussion could be expected in Bhubaneswar Friday. The BJD's political affairs committee is likely to meet to take stock of the situation.

UNI

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