Other States - Punjab   

SAD, BJP mum on seat sharing

The two parties rule out differences over the issue ahead of Assembly polls

Photo: Akhilesh Kumar

DISPLAY OF UNITY: Shiromani Akali Dal and Bharatiya Janata Party leaders at a workers convention in Chandigarh on Sunday.

CHANDIGARH: Even as Assembly elections draw closer in Punjab, the main opposition Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and its political ally BJP on Sunday remained non-commital about sharing seats.

Political think-tanks of the two parties in Punjab - Sukhbir Singh Badal, SAD general secretary and Avinash Rai Khanna, Punjab unit of BJP chief - preferred not to ``open the cards'' before the media here after holding a meeting of senior functionaries of the two outfits.

``Elders (senior leaders) in the family (SAD and BJP) will decide on the seat sharing agreement between the two permanent allies,'' Sukhbir said when asked about the proposed seat sharing agreement between the two parties. He, however, ruled out differences between the two parties over the seat sharing arrangement ahead of Assembly polls slated in February next year.

``You (media) try your best to create a rift between us (SAD and BJP), we are not going to fight within ourselves over the issue of seat sharing,'' Sukhbir said.

Khanna was quick to add that ``whenever you (media) write SAD don't forget to add BJP to it in future.''

At the last hustings in 2002, out of the total 117 Assembly seats in Punjab, BJP had contested successfully only three of the 23 seats where it had fielded its candidates. However, after Khanna's election to the Lok Sabha from Hoshiarpur constituency the BJP lost the seat in the by-polls.

Some leaders from both the political outfits had openly raised the issue of seat sharing before their respective high commands directed them to exercise restraint on the contentious matter.

While BJP is not keen to settle on less than 30 seats, its ally SAD wants to give only 15 seats to the saffron party, party insiders said.

Seeking to play down the issue, Sukhbir said the meeting of senior functionaries of the two parties was held to review arrangements for the proposed joint rally of SAD-BJP at Ajitwal village on December eight on the occasion of the birth anniversary of SAD supremo Parkash Singh Badal. Former Prime Ministers Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Inder Kumar Gujral, former Deputy Premier Lal Krishan Advani and BJP chief Rajnath Singh would address the rally, which he claimed would be ``historic.''

Sukhbir said SAD chief Parkash Singh Badal would leave for Delhi on November 30 to mobilise more senior leaders of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) for the rally.

He said that the two parties would give a call to the people of the State on December eight to ``save Punjab and oust Congress''.

PTI

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