Chandigarh, December 13
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) have almost sealed a pre-poll seat-sharing arrangement with the two deciding to retain the same number of seats each as during the 2007 elections. The two have, however, agreed to exchange four seats.
The BJP will contest 23 seats. It will give up its claim on the Garshankar seat in lieu of the Ludhiana (West) seat that the BJP has been demanding for its former president Rajinder Bhandari. The Batala and Amritsar (East) seats are likely to be bartered too.
In the entire exercise, Akali leaders who owed allegiance to former SGPC president GS Tohra have been idelined, causing much resentment. To suppress murmurs of protest, SAD president Sukhbir Badal has issued a stern warning against airing grievances in public.
Senior BJP leaders, including Shanta Kumar and JP Nadda are in Chandigarh and have met several party workers. A delegation from Batala that met the BJP national leaders have opposed giving away the Batala seat to the SAD that it has won five times in the past. The BJP has 20 municipal councillors in the Batala MC. The SAD is keen on Batala because one seat in Gurdaspur district has been reserved and another reduced. This is bound to affect SAD ministers Sucha Singh Langha and Sewa Singh Sekhwan.
Though the Ludhiana (West) seat vacated by Harish Rai Dhanda is primarily a Sikh constituency, won by the Akalis twice in the past three elections, Bhandari is keen to contest from here. There is speculation that the local Akali leadership may threaten to revolt against the BJP nominee.
There is a feeling that the SAD patron and Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has not forgiven the Tohra loyalists for breaking away from the party. Gradually, all Tohra loyalists have been rendered irrelevant even though they have stood by Badal after the Badal and Tohra patch-up.
Shanta Kumar, who met party MLAs and workers throughout the day, told mediapersons that the exchange of seats was under active consideration, but a final decision would be taken shortly.
The BJP leadership is preparing for a two-day conclave on December 23 and 24 at Jalandhar. A rally will be held on December 24 that will be attended by national leaders LK Advani, Arun Jaitley and Sushma Sawraj. This is expected to help mobilise the BJP cadres before the elections.
News Source: Tribune India
