NEW DELHI, Jan 9: Ending weeks of speculation, Lok Shakti chief Ramakrishna Hegde today announced his party's seat sharing arrangement with the Bharatiya Janata Party for the Lok Sabha elections in Karnataka and a few other States in South.And, with the declaration came a setback for Hegde as national secretary of the party Ramakant Pandey along with some aides quit to join the Janata Dal protesting the decision to have seat adjustments with BJP.
Even as the new alliance suffered this setback due to Pandey's resignation, BJP's position continued to look up with Bharatiya Kisan Kamgar Party (BKKP) chief Ajit Singh reportedly sending feelers to the BJP for an alliance in Uttar Pradesh.
Hegde told reporters here that the decision to have a tie-up with the BJP was taken ``in the interest of the country, political stability, competent leadership and economic progress.''
He said that the decision was taken after a long deliberation because ``we don't believe in having a short-lived affair, but a long,
sustaining relationship'' with that party.
Talking to media persons, Hegde said the Lok Shakti would stake claim to 16 of the 28 Lok Sabha seats in the state which were won by Janata Dal in the 1996 elections. Though, indications are that the BJP may not part with more than 6 or 7 seats.
State BJP leaders B S Yediyurappa and Ananthakumar who are in the Capital will go into the nitty-gritties with Lok Shakti representatives beginning Saturday, after Hegde's meeting tonight with BJP leader Atal Behari Vajpayee.
In the 1996 elections, the BJP had won six seats - Bidar, Dharwad North, Uttara Kannada, Mangalore, Davanagere and Bangalore South. In six other constituencies - Gulbarga, Tumkur, Bijapur, Shimoga, Udupi and Belgaum, it stood a close second losing by less than 20,000 votes in most. And, in Dharwad South BJP's losing difference was just around 1,500 votes.
The party may not be willing to give away these 13 seats, according to BJP sources. Even in the rest of the 15 seats, they claim, there is a
clamour for tickets from partymen. The seat-sharing exercise will also be influenced by the fact that Hegde has not been able to wean away any Janata Dal member of the 11th Lok Sabha or sitting MLA to his party. ``It would have been a different story if some MPs had joined him. Then we would have been obliged to give the Lok Shakti a bigger share,'' said a BJP leader. State BJP leaders do admit that the tie-up would be mutually beneficial to their party and Hegde. ``It will send signals across the country,'' they said.
Meanwhile, BKKP emissary Satya Pal Malik is believed to be bargaining with the BJP for three seats in UP, including his own, Baghpat.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
