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BJP-Lok Shakti to commence seat sharing talks soon

Uncompromising in its tough stand against an alliance with the ruling Janata Dal in Karnataka, the Bharatiya Janata Party today said it would commence talks with its ally, the Lok Shakti, on seat adjustment for the Lok Sabha and assembly polls in a couple of days.

The party, which had begun the exercise of finalising the list of candidates for the polls, would study the "ground realities" before holding talks with the Lok Shakti, state unit president B S Yediyurappa told newsmen in Bangalore.

Declaring that the BJP will not go against the wishes of the people and party workers and align with the Janata Dal, he said it was not bothered about who all were part of Lok Shakti.

He expressed confidence that the BJP's alliance with the Lok Shakti would enable them to capture power in the state and restore the Vajpayee government at the Centre.

On the number of seats to be offered to the Lok Shakti, Yediyurappa said, "number is not important, the ground reality will be considered."

He said Civil Aviation Minister Anantkumar met Lok Shakti leader and Union Commerce Minister Ramakrishna Hegde last night and held preliminary talks on the alliance.

Denying that his party was creating confusion over the alliance with the Lok Shakti, Yediyurappa said he was confident that the alliance would be struck well before the filing of nominations began on August 11.

Meanwhile, Ramakrishna Hegde hoped that the state BJP would restrict its demands to a reasonable and practical limit and the problem in Karnataka would be solved soon.

He said if the BJP leaders showed a sense of understanding and be a little more accommodative, a coalition set-up similar to the ones in West Bengal and Kerala was possible in Karnataka too.

UNI

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