Hindustan Times (Ranchi)

BJP and AJSU Party to formally announce their alliance today

AJSU Party will get ‘reasonable’ number of seats, says party’s state president

- Bedanti Saran bedanti.saran@hindustant­imes.com ■

RANCHI: The BJP-AJSU party is likely to make formal announceme­nt of the alliance on Saturday as hectic parleys between the leaders in Delhi are expected to resolve the complicati­ons of seat sharing pact.

“We are close to cobble up a formidable alliance and the formal announceme­nt will be made on Saturday after final approval of the party’s central parliament­ary board,” said BJP’s state president Laxman Gilua.

The ruling BJP has expedited the process of selection of candidates in the run up to the 2019 five-phase Jharkhand assembly elections, nomination for which has begun on November 6 for the first phase.

The party’s state election committee on November 6 had authorised chief minister Raghubar Das, party’s state president Gilua and general secretary (organisati­on) Dharmpal Singh to prepare the list of probable candidates for 81 assembly segments for forwarding it to the central election committee.

The trio furnished the list of probable candidates to the central election committee, which on Thursday discussed in details about the prospects of these candidates. The candidates’ list will finally be approved by the party’s central parliament­ary board comprising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, party’s national president Amit Shah, working president JP Nadda and many other senior leaders.

The BJP, which is playing the role of big brother in the national democratic alliance (NDA), is flooded with ticket seekers. It is also daunted by the task of fulfilling the aspiration­s of its ally partners--AJSU party led by its chief Sudesh Mahto and Ram Vilas Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (LJP). Both the smaller parties have already demanded for larger share in 2019 assembly elections.

Besides, the BJP has brought as many as 12 sitting legislator­s from different parties in its fold after 2014 assembly elections. These legislator­s are staking their claims to secure BJP’s ticket from their respective seats. Many other bigwigs, who had joined the saffron party ahead of upcoming elections, too are eying for a ticket.

“A meeting to give a proper shape to the NDA in Jharkhand is scheduled on Friday evening in Delhi. Things will be shorted out in this meeting, “said Gilua, who returned with CM Das to Jamshedpur on Friday and likely to fly to Delhi again on Saturday to attend the parliament­ary board meeting.

Reply to the media as to how many seats the BJP will share with AJSU party, he said, “In 2014 elections, we gave eight seats to the AJSU against their

We are close to cobble up a formidable alliance and the formal announceme­nt will be made on Saturday after final approval of the party’s central parliament­ary board LAXMAN GILUA, State BJP chief

demand of 18 seats. As our natural ally, AJSU is well within its right to stake a claim. Seat sharing pact will be finalised when the leaders sit across the table. A reasonable share will be given to the AJSU party, “he said.

As per the election schedule, Jharkhand will go for polls in five phases on November 30 for 13 assembly segments, December 7 for 20 assembly constituen­cies, December 12 for 17 seats, December 16 for 15 seats and December 20 for 16 constituen­cies.

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AJSU Party workers at party headquarte­rs in Ranchi.
HT FILE ■ AJSU Party workers at party headquarte­rs in Ranchi.
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