BJP demands equal number of seats in Haryana and Maharashtra, Haryana, Maharashtra, BJP, Congress,Amit Shah, J&K Jharkhand, Assembly election, Election News 2014, Political News 2014, latest news 2014
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- Last Updated: Thursday, 22 January 2015 21:02
BJP demands equal number of seats in Haryana and Maharashtra
NEW DELHI: Fresh from an impressive victory in the Lok Sabha polls, BJP is engaged in some tough talking with present and prospective allies in election bound states of Maharashtra and Haryana even as it finalises the strategy for wresting these two states from the Congress and for performing well in Jammu and Kashmir and Jharkhand.
With Assembly elections in Maharashtra and Haryana likely to be held before Diwali, BJP brass led by President Amit Shah is focusing on these two states. BJP has conveyed to its ally Shiv Sena that the Lok Sabha elections show it has more clout among voters in the state and hence should contest on half of the seats this time.
Shiv Sena had contested 171 and BJP 117 seats in 2009 in Maharashtra. This time around Shiv Sena has tried to put BJP on the back-foot by announcing its chief Udhav Thackeray as the CM candidate of the alliance. However, BJP is of the view that the chief minister's post to go to the party that gets more seats. In Haryana, BJP has sought to put its ally Haryana Janhit Congress in place by refusing the latter's demand that it should contest half of the 90 seats and get the chief minister's post in case the alliance wins.
"This was a bizarre demand and we have turned it down. Kuldeep Bishnoi is now veering around to our point of view. We want an alliance in the state on our terms and if that does not happen then we are ready to contest the 90 seats alone," a senior BJP leader said.
Perhaps for the first time, BJP has high hopes in J&K. PM Narendra Modi addressed a rally in Kargil during his visit to the state. Amit Shah is set to spend two days, August 25-26, in the state in which he will meet state leaders and discuss the poll strategy.
"We are not only wooing the voters in Jammu but have hopes of getting good votes in the Valley as well. Getting most of the 37 seats in Jammu would not be enough to form a government. We will have to win seats in the Valley as well," a senior party leader said. Mission-44 is already a slogan being raised by the BJP state unit.
Since NC, Congress and PDP are opposed to the BJP, Shah is eyeing the smaller parties in the Valley for an alliance, sources said. BJP may also rake up sensitive and controversial issues to win votes. Reaching out to voters unhappy with Congress and NC is also on BJP's agenda.
src:economictimes