TDP, BJP strike deal on seat-sharing

The BJP disappointed its local leaders when it agreed, in seat-sharing talks with the Telugu Desam Party, to contest from 27 assembly and nine Lok Sabha seats in the ensuing elections.

The deal was clinched after a five-hour long meeting between BJP general secretary Pramod Mahajan and TDP supremo and chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu at the latter's residence on Thursday. The state has 294 assembly seats and 42 Lok Sabha seats.

Addressing the media soon after the meeting was over, both the leaders claimed that what really mattered to both the parties was the combined strength of TDP and BJP and not the seat allocations as they support each other at the Centre as well as in the state.

Earlier in the day some senior state BJP leaders had indicated that about 44 Assembly seats and 12 Lok Sabha seats would be a number that the party would be comfortable with.

But armed with several survey reports and other statistics, the TDP leadership seems to have convinced the BJP leaders on the actual field level strength of that party and risks involved in putting up BJP candidates from more seats in the face of a tight contest in the offing.

Entering an electoral understanding with the TDP after a long gap in the 1999 elections, the BJP had contested from 24 assembly and eight Lok Sabha seats.

Riding on a wave because of the war in Kargil and Vajpayee's charisma, it won 12 assembly seats and seven Lok Sabha seats in the 1999 elections.

According to Mahajan, the names of the BJP candidates would be announced on 21 March by the BJP's central election committee which is slated to meet that day in Delhi.

Meanwhile, chief minister Chandrababu Naidu has learnt to have accepted the invitation by Pramod Mahajan to campaign for BJP and other NDA allies after 26 April when polling in the state would be over.