BJP agrees to share seats with JD (U), others

Lucknow, Mar 9 (UNI) The Bharatiya Janata Party has agreed in principle to go for seat adjustment with smaller parties like Apna Dal and Janata Dal(U) in the forthcoming assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh.

''The BJP's Central leadership has taken into consideration the view of the UP unit in this regard thus paving for the electoral arrangement with Apna Dal, JD(U) and possibly other smaller NDA constituentes in the state, party's national vice-president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told UNI. However, the talks on the number of seats to be shared are continuing, he said.

''The extent of the adjustment and the number of seats will finally be decided after the Central Election Committee meetings on March 10 and 11 in New Delhi.The list of candidates would also be announced after this meeting'', he said.

Excuding confidence that the BJP will secure a comfortable majority in 403-member UP assembly, the senior BJP leader said the exercise was being taken up to forge strategic alliance for even better performance.

Sone Lal Patel-led Apna Dal, which has managed to make its presence felt during the recent years, is mainly confined to eastern UP with a reasonable support of Backwards (Kurmis) and Dalits. The idea behind the electoral adjustment with the party is to eat into traditional vote bank of Mayawati-led BSP and to an extent the ruling Samajwadi Party.

JD(U) has been a prominent constituent of National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

BJP national president Rajnath Singh, who is in the state capital, had said last evening that the decision for the seat adjustment would only be made after the state unit ''okays'' it.

UNI