JD(U), BJP go their separate ways in Jharkhand

Thu, Nov 5 06:11 AM

Unable to reconcile their conflicting claims for sharing seats, leaders of both the BJP and JD(U) threw their hands up on Wednesday and decided to go their separate ways during the Jharkhand Assembly polls.

"Our talks have failed," JD(U) president Sharad Yadav declared, capping hectic parleys between the two sides for the last three days. As if to reinforce the point, he also released a list of 19 party nominees. The BJP had announced its candidates for 59 of the 81 seats on Tuesday night, much to the discomfort of the JD(U). Yadav was non-committal when asked if the JD(U) would issue a second list. "Let us see," he said.

BJP vice-president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, who was leading negotiators from the other camp, expressed "surprise" over the JD(U) decision. "I don't know why they unilaterally decided to go it alone when we had offered them the seats which they had wanted to contest on a priority-basis," he said.

Sources revealed the JD(U) leadership took the plunge for of two reasons — one, a compromise seemed impossible, and two, it had no time left to wait for allotting symbols to party nominees. "They have to go back and file nomination papers from November 7," they added.

Sources in both camps disclosed that negotiators were unable to find a common meeting ground — the BJP was not prepared to go beyond its last offer of 12 seats and the JD(U) was not ready to settle for anything less than the 18 it had contested in 2005.

"The JD(U) demand was too high," senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley said. While agreeing that an alliance would have yielded a political gain to both, he said, "the JD(U) should have set its demand after measuring its actual strength."

In contrast to central leaders of the NDA allies, the state leaders of the BJP and JD(U) were believed to be happier going to the polls alone. "Their own rigid positions were responsible for the deadlock and they felt relieved when the talks ended," one of the leaders who was involved in discussions revealed.

"Our party has consolidated its position during the last two years," Jharkhand JD(U) president Jaleshwar Mahato said.

He pointed out that Raja Peter, who had defeated Shibu Soren in an assembly by-election early this year, had joined the JD(U). Besides, the state Samajwadi Party unity had merged with JD(U). He said the JD(U) would field its candidates only in the constituencies where it was confident of a victory.

This was contested by the BJP leaders, who contended that the JD(U) had inflated its strength by roping in turn-coats from other parties. "They have re-inducted even those party members whom they had expelled for anti-party activities in Lok Sabha elections."

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