NAGPUR, January 29: The joint campaign of the Bharatiya Janata Party-Shiv Sena alliance in Vidarbha region began badly today when Chief Minister Manohar Joshi was forced to cancel his public meeting at the pilgrim town of Ramtek.The Ramtek market ground, the venue of the public meeting, wore a deserted look as the Chief Minister, his cabinet members and Sena leaders addressed a workers' meeting. There was no word from local Sena office-bearers about the cancellation of the meeting which, according to an advertisement issued by them, was to mark the launching of the alliance campaign.
While some Sena workers maintained that no such meeting was planned, another group said the decision to cancel the meeting was taken due to the prevailing inclement weather. Others attributed it to intense infighting in the Sena camp, involving rival groups led by Sena district Chief Prakash Jadhav and another faction supporting the candidature of official Sena nominee Ashok Gujar. There were also allegations that local BJPworkers were lukewarm to Gujar's nomination.
The lack of response to the Chief Minister's election campaign came as a shock to the alliance leaders, who had chosen the site considering its significance as a pilgrim centre and because Sena supremo Bal Thackeray's meeting had drawn a good response last time. Thackeray is scheduled to address a meeting at Ramtek early next month during his tour of Vidarbha.Speaking to newspersons, the Chief Minister sounded optimistic and predicted that the alliance would win 35 to 40 seats out of 48 in Maharashtra. BJP workers are likely to try their best to secure a comfortable majority to enable the installation of a stable government at the centre under the leadership of Atal Behari Vajpayee, he said. He added that issues like the stability factor, the achievements of the Shiv Sena-BJP government in Maharashtra and utter failure of Congress leaders to inspire their party workers, would be the decisive factors in the ensuing Lok Sabha polls.Replying to a question about theemerging Sonia factor and its possible influence on the voting pattern, Joshi said the Congress party lacked the organisational capabilities required to take advantage of any factor.
When asked to comment on the apology tendered by Congress on Ayodhya and Operation Bluestar, he dismissed it as a political gimmick which would not help the party to regain the confidence of minorities.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
