The bitterly divided Janata Dal leadership is set to dump its commitment to secularism and enter into an electoral understanding with allies of the BJP in some States. But to retain its secular credentials, the party is desperately trying for a seat adjustment with the Congress and its allies in other states as well. It is not averse to a tie-up with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) of Sharad Pawar either.
The RJD's Laloo Prasad Yadav is firm on not giving more than two Lok Sabha seats to the JD in Bihar ... The JD is claiming 9 seats ... It is learnt that Samata Party is willing to concede half a dozen seats in the electoral tie-up. Except for Ram Vilas Paswan, none of the party leaders, including Sharad Yadav, made it to the Lok Sabha in 1998. Sharad Yadav and Laloo Yadav have held talks through emissaries in the recent past, which, however, failed to yield any result. However, it has made it clear to JD leaders that they would have to .openly campaign together with the Samata Party ...
In Orissa the local leadership is keen on a tie-up with the Biju Janata Dal (BJD). The Congress in Orissa is not averse to some kind of arrangement with the JD either. But it is felt that the Congress is as divided a house in Orissa as the BJD. Therefore, it would be better for them to have truck with the BJD instead of the Congress ...
In Andhra Pradesh, Jaipal Reddy, who was a member of the dissolved Lok Sabha, has already got a word of support from the Telugu Desam Party. The NCP is set to clinch a deal with the C.M. Chandrababu Naidu any time.
Though former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda is strongly opposed to any understanding with the BJP or its allies, his other colleagues in the Political Affairs Committee hold a different view ... He held that there could be no understanding of any kind with the BJP. He would prefer an understanding with the Congress in Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra.
Madhu Dandavate and Bapu Kaldate are the two potential party candidates from Maharashtra. In the event of Congress not accommodating them, the NCP is ready for such a tie-up.
Strangely, another former Prime Minister I.K. Gujrat is keen to contest from Jalandhar Lok Sabha seat again. The Akali Dal, the Bahujan Samaj Party and others had Riven him support against the Congress candidate, Umrao Ningh. There are reservations within the BJP and the Akali Dal about lending support to him this time.
However, Gujral has conveyed to them that he is the only candidate who can prevent the Congress from winning the seat and therefore, they should support him ... ID is desperate to touch the double-digit mark in the 13th Lok Sabha. (Source: The Indian Express, 5 July, 1999)
