BJP-Akali 'rath yatra' called off

The BJP-Akali Dal combine's election campaign in Punjab seems to heading off the rails with the BJP indicating that the joint 'rath yatra' planned with former MP and cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu and son of Akali Dal (Badal) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal has been called off.

The yatra was supposed to start in the middle of January. Polls in the state have been scheduled for February 13.

According to top sources in the party, the yatra has been called off by Badal junior as he cannot spare the time for it in the midst of preparing his party for the polls.

"He is the main organisational head for the party and he cannot be away from his other administrative duties of distributing tickets and determining campaign decisions," said a BJP office-bearer.

The BJP on its part is also waiting for a January 10 high court order on whether Sidhu can contest polls or not, in order to decide its projections and campaign in the state.

According to BJP President Rajnath Singh, the seat adjustment between BJP and Akali Dal has not been finalised yet. "We are still negotiating, but it should be remembered that (in the last polls) BJP had contested 23 seats out of the 117 seats of the Punjab Assembly," he said.

Sources indicate that the negotiations are stalled over one seat "" Garhshankar "" and the imbroglio will be resolved after the party in-charge of Punjab, Arun Jaitley, returns to India after January 6.

There is also a possibility that Sidhu's wife Navjot Kaur will be contesting the Amritsar Lok Sabha seat in place of her husband who had to resign following his conviction in a decade-old murder case.