BJP, JD(U) tie up for J’khand polls

NEW DELHI: A day after JD(U) called off its seat-sharing talks with BJP for the ensuing assembly polls in Jharkhand, the two parties, realising that contesting elections separately would only hurt their prospects, have kissed and made up. JD(U), which contested 18 seats in 2005, had to settle for 14 seats, leaving 67 seats for BJP. The assembly has a strength of 81. BJP, which had fielded candidates in 63 seats in the last assembly polls, had won 30 seats, while JDU) could bag only five.

JD(U), which has been rocked by a spate of high-profile desertions since then, has seen its strength in the state depleting. It lost the Tamar assembly seat to an Independent in a by-election held earlier this year and failed to open its account in Jharkhand in the Lok Sabha polls too.

The party was given Palamau and Chatra as part of its alliance. BJP, on the other hand, won eight of a total 14 Lok Sabha seats. Leaders on either side have realised that contesting the Jharkhand assembly polls separately would send a wrong signal to supporters in neighbouring Bihar, which goes to polls in exactly a year from now.

A rupture in the alliance in Jharkhand could have a ripple effect in Bihar, conceding the advantage to a resurgent RJD-LJP.

JD(U) had on Wednesday unilaterally announced a list of 20 candidates, but has forgone claims to Hatia, Mandar, Koderma, Hazaribagh, Barhi and Gandey seats. Four seats which it contested last time but conceded to BJP are Kolibera, Garhwa Silli and Barhi.

It will now field candidates in Husseinabad, Bhavnathpur, Panki, Bishrampur, Baghmara, Tamar, Chandankyari, Bokaro, Shikaripara, Sarath, Deoghar, Mandu, Dumri and Chhatarpur. Announcing the pact at a joint press conference held here on Thursday afternoon, BJP president Rajnath Singh said pressure from state units had forced leaders of the two NDA partners to iron out the differences. JD(U) chief Sharad Yadav said the alliance would go in for a joint campaign, but was evasive on a joint manifesto.