JD(U) to contest 27 seats in Guj polls

Ahmedabad, Nov 19: The Janata Dal (United) will contest around 27 of total 182 seats in Gujarat assembly polls, which will be held in two phases across the state on December 11 and 16.

Talking to mediapersons here today, Gujarat JD (U) unit national secretary Arun Srivasta said, ''The party is going to contest around 27 assembly seats in the polls in Gujarat, to be held on December 11 and 16.'' He said the party is determined to contest those seats where it has good chances of winning. The idea is to make its presence felt and emerge as the third front in Gujarat.

Mr Srivasta said the party has marked 27 assembly seats where it could field its candidates for the polls. Of these, 12 constituencies have been cleared so far by the Central Leadership.

Of the 12, as many as four -- Mundra, Abdasa, Rapar and Anjaare -- are in Kutch district, three -- Datta, Vadgam and Deodar -- in Banaskantha district, two -- Vadhvan and Chotila -- in Surendranagar district, two -- Jamalpur and Rakhial -- in Ahmedabad and one -- Jamkhambhalia -- in Jamnagar district, he said.

When asked, Mr Srivasta said, ''After the polling, if a situation arises where the party will have to extend support to any political party to form the government, then JD(U) candidates would support the party which falls in line with our ideology.'' He said the ruling BJP would not find it easy to form government this time as compared to the 2002 polls, because now people have good knowledge of the post-Godhra riots.

The people of Gujarat, tired of autocratic rule of Chief Minister Narendra Modi, wish to get out of it which is almost like a mini-emergency, he alleged.

JD(U)'s another national general secretary K C Tayagi will release the party's manifesto for Gujarat polls either in Ahmedabad or Vadodara on November 21, he added.

UNI