BJP soft pedals JD(U) intention to fight outside NDA in UP

New Delhi, June 20 (UNI) The BJP today sought to play down the issue of its NDA partner JD(U) opting to contest the forthcoming Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh on its own and not as part of the coalition.

BJP spokespersons Ravi Shankar Prasad and Prakash Javadekar said they did not find anything abnormal in the JD(U) trying to field its candidates with the Apna Dal in Uttar Pradesh as its alliance was confined to Bihar, Jharkhand and Karnataka where the Assembly polls were fought on the NDA lines.

''Such things happen'', they said pointing out at the parties' fighting one another outside the states where they did not have alliance.

The spokespersons said though the BJP and Shiv Sena were part of an alliance in Maharashtra, they fought in other states and the same principle may also hold good for the JD(U).

Mr Prasad hinted that all was not lost because the JD(U) was opposed to both Mulayam Singh's Samajwadi Party and BSP's Mayawati but there ''is a scope for cobbing an alliance''.

UNI MCN/KAS HS RN1754