BANGALORE: A meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) senior leaders chaired by the party's State unit president D.V. Sadananda Gowda on Wednesday decided to empower its members of the coordination committee of the coalition government to take up the issue of the possibility of sharing of 20 seats in the Legislative Council. Mr. Sadananda Gowda told presspersons that there were 20 seats to be filled, including three nominations. Of the remaining 17 seats, 11 would be filled through elections from the Legislative Assembly and six from graduate and teachers constituencies.

He said the meeting discussed whether to contest all four seats from the Graduate and Teachers Constituencies, which it held earlier. It discussed suggestions of the Janata Dal (Secular) to give two seats to be nominated by it leaving one seat to the BJP.

Mr. Sadananda Gowda said that the meeting left the decision on whether to oblige Janata Dal (Secular) to have its two members nominated to the party election committee.

He said the members of the coordination committee — Deputy Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa and general secretary H.N. Ananth Kumar, besides himself — would take a final decision on taking up all matters relating to the sharing of seats in its meeting with JD (S). There is no urgency in selecting persons for the three posts to be filled by the nominations, he said.

The BJP leader said his party was for an understanding with the JD(S) for sharing the seats but it would make arrangements for fielding candidates if the JD(S) decidesd to contest on its own.

The drive to enrol 10 lakh members would be completed on June 11 and all the leaders of the party would be drafted for achieving it. The meeting decided to take up the issue of naxal problem with the Chief Minister.

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