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BJP, Akalis yet to decide on seats

By Sujay Mehdudia

NEW DELHI OCT. 14. Though the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Akali Dal have decided to jointly contest the Delhi Assembly elections on December 1, they are yet to reach an agreement on seat-sharing. In another interesting move, the BJP leader, Madan Lal Khurana, is holding talks tomorrow with the Indian National Lok Dal leader and Haryana Chief Minister, Om Prakash Chaultala, on a possible seat-sharing agreement for contesting the polls in Delhi.

It is also learnt that the BJP has completed an internal assessment of sitting party MLAs and also the prospective candidates. Sources in the party said an independent agency had been entrusted to assess the standing of the sitting MLAs as also of those who had applied or were interested in seeking party nomination. The party had asked the agency to shortlist at least six to seven candidates in each of the 70 Assembly segments in order to ensure that total impartiality was maintained in the whole process.

Although, the local BJP unit is against giving any seats to Mr. Chautala in Delhi, but still the BJP leaders are giving it a try in order to reach some sort of an arrangement.

On the other hand, it is learnt that the Delhi BJP had agreed to leave around five seats to the Akali Dal as part of the seat sharing- agreement for the polls. The party is yet to decide which seats would be left for its alliance partner. The Akali Dal would contest these seats on the BJP symbol as had happened in the past. It is understood that the segments on which the party is willing to allow the Akali Dal to field candidates include, Rajouri Garden, Gandhi Nagar or Geeta Colony, Okhla, Tilak Nagar, Sadar Bazar and even Hari Nagar. The BJP, which in the past had given the Vishnu Garden Assembly seat, presently held by the Finance Minister, Mahinder Singh Saathi, to the Akali Dal but this time round it is not ready to part with this seat. It is learnt that BJP has assured Dayanand Chandela that he would be the party's official candidate from Vishnu Garden.

Also, the party is in the process of putting up a formidable candidate from the Gole Market seat which is held by the Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit.

The names of BJP vice-president, Vijay Jolly, and NDMC vice-chairman, Ram Bhaj, who is also a sitting BJP MLA from Sarojni Nagar, are doing the rounds. But Mr. Jolly is reluctant to enter the fray from Gole Market and is keen on once again giving a try to the Saket Assembly seat, which he had lost earlier.

Similarly, there is also a talk of Poonam Azad, wife of the BJP MP from Bihar and former cricketer, Kirti Azad, contesting the Gole market seat. During the 1998 Assembly elections, Mr. Azad had contested against Ms. Dikshit but lost the election by a margin of around 6,000 votes. But the candidature of Ms. Azad could trigger off a virtual revolt in the BJP as cadres are unlikely to accept her as the party nominee.

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