JD(U) wants BJP to give 53 seats to fight in UP

Notwithstanding BJP's announcement that it will contest the upcoming Assembly elections alone, the party's close ally JD(U) has given it a list of 53 seats which it wants to fight in the state.

The JD(U) identified these seats on the basis of what it contested in the last Assembly elections along with Apna Dal, a small regional party, JD(U) General Secretary K C Tyagi, who has handed over the list to BJP, told PTI.

"After death of Apna Dal founder Sonelal Patel, many of its important leaders have crossed over to JD(U). Hence we have included the entire 53 seats for ourselves this time," Tyagi said.

BJP is yet to respond to this.

JD(U) national spokesman Shivanand Tiwari also justified the party's desire to contest 53 seats in the 403-member Assembly.

Tyagi said most of the seats identified fall in the districts bordering Bihar, where the party registered a stupendous victory under leadership of Nitish Kumar last year.

"The JD(U) thinks that people in these areas have the same social composition as that in Bihar and have hopes from Nitish Kumar's party. Hence there is strong chance of repeating the Bihar's performance there," said Tyagi, a close confidante of party national president Sharad Yadav.

Tyagi said his party is waiting for a response from BJP to move forward on the seat-sharing issue in UP where elections is expected early next year.

The submission of the list comes even as BJP leader LK Advani announced last week that his party would go it alone in Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

"No, we don't wish to have any alliance in Uttar Pradesh because we know who are the others," Advani said in Thiruvananthapuram when asked by reporters if the BJP was looking for any alliances in UP.

BJP sources said the local unit of the party and some other sections are opposed to any pre-poll alliance. But a section of party leadership wants a tie-up with JD(U), noting that it is a long-term NDA ally.

When pointed to Advani's assertion, Tyagi said "we have not heard anything like this from them officially. But, if the BJP communicates such a decision to us, we will welcome it and go alone in the husting in UP."

"Even our JD (U) friends from Bihar want to go alone in UP, but we want our 15-year friendship with BJP to go on. But if they decide to go alone, it will not be a setback for us," Tyagi said.

While BJP and JD(U) are yet to settle the issue, other major parties like Samajwadi Party, BSP and Congress have begun allocating seats to their candidates.