The Hindu : National : BJP bid to consolidate the anti-RJD vote

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Nov 17, 2004

National

National

BJP bid to consolidate the anti-RJD vote

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, NOV. 16 . An attempt to consolidate the anti-Rashtriya Janata Dal vote and build on the anti-incumbency factor is at the heart of the Bharatiya Janata Party's strategy for Bihar where Assembly elections are due in less than four months.

A hint of this was available here today after the party's core committee on Bihar dwelt at length on the possible alliances and discussed the party's election campaign.

Later, the party spokesperson who is also in charge of Bihar affairs, Arun Jaitley, announced that the campaign would kick-start on December 2 with a rally in Patna, likely to be addressed by the former Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and the party president, L.K. Advani.

No tie-up with Paswan

Although party leaders refused to say whether the Lok Jan Shakti of Ram Vilas Paswan could form part of the "anti-RJD" alliance, they do not think Mr. Paswan would jump out of the United Progressive Alliance to become part of a BJP-led front in Bihar.

In fact, Mr. Paswan has repeatedly told the Janata Dal (United) leader, Nitish Kumar, that he will not tie up with any party or individual maintaining links with the BJP or the National Democratic Alliance.

The BJP is hoping to go to the polls with its long-time ally, JD (U), and some smaller groups, which can win a few seats here and there. The strategy, therefore, will be to ensure that the RJD is not able to put together a big alliance comprising the Congress, the Left and the Lok Jan Shakti.

Today's meeting was chaired by Mr. Advani and attended by the former party president, Venkaiah Naidu, Jaswant Singh, general secretaries Sanjay Joshi and Arun Jaitley and several leaders from Bihar, including Sushil Kumar Modi, Gopal Narayan Singh, Jai Narain Nishad, Shatrughan Sinha and Ravi Shankar Prasad.

Jharkhand important

The Jharkhand election is more important for the BJP as it is the ruling party there. The party is hoping that its national executive committee meeting in Ranchi from November 24 will help create a positive atmosphere.

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