The United Front appears to have informally issued a no objection to Mulayam Singh Yadav having agreed not to field any candidates against the Congress Party in its traditional strongholds of Amethi, Rae Bareili and Sultanpur.
However, SPs negotiations with Congress Party are unlikely to assume a wider proportion with the UF being clear in its minds that if SP leaves even 15 seats for the Congress, he would be considered to have opted out of the Front.
The Core Committee of the United Front which met yesterday for over three hours appointed CPI-M general secretary Harkishen Singh Surjeet as the arbitor for seat sharing between the Samajwadi Party and other Front partners, particularly the Janata Dal following sharp differences between them on seat sharing in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
This was interpreted in Congress circles as positive. They felt that wherever the Congress was in a winning position, the Front might just have a symbolic fight.
Front spokesman Jaipal Reddy later said that Surjeet would had been authorised to see that the claims of various parties were amicably settled.
SP President Mulayam Singh, who had taken exception to Janata Dal leaders including former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda attacking him in a rally in Lucknow last week, was reportedly sore with the party staking its claim to contest seats in UP. He had declared that his party would contest all 85 seats.
Yadav is understood to have commented in the meeting that the JD was no longer a force in UP and its claims were exaggerated. He left the meeting early giving rise to speculation that he had walked out. However, Reddy said Yadav had to go out on an election tour.
Reddy said ticket distribution would not be a problem as parties dominant in particular states will have a larger say in the matter. Therefore, SP will call the shots in UP, while the TDP will have that advantage in Andhra Pradesh and the JD in Karnataka.
The Front will launch its election campaign on January 19 at Hyderabad where senior leaders including Prime Minister I K Gujral will address an election rally. It will be followed by similar rallies at Bangalore, Chennai, Bihar and UP later.
The Core group could not finalise the the draft common programme, which is expected to be finalised by it at Hyderabad on January 19.
UF agrees not to field candidates against Congress nominees in its traditional strongholds of Amethi, Rae Bareili and Sultanpur
