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Let Seshan pick his own constituency: Thackeray

The Shiv Sena has given former election commissioner T N Seshan a free hand to pick the constituency he will fight from.

"Let Seshan himself decide his own constituency. I cannot force it on him as it all depends from where he wants to contest," said Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray.

Thackeray was reacting to questions soon after Maharashtra Chief Minister Manohar Joshi declared Seshan would fight former chief minister Sharad Pawar from Baramati constituency in Pune district.

Pawar has been consistently winning the seat since 1967, beating his nearest rival in the 1996 elections by over 200,000 votes.

Seshan would decide on a constituency after he comes to Bombay next week, said Thackeray.

"For the present no decision has been taken about Seshan's candidature from Baramati. The chief minister's statement was just an indication. We can't take Seshan to a water tank and force him to drink water," said Thackeray, adding that the party intended to consult the former CEC on the matter before taking a decision.

But he made it clear that the Sena had yet to accept Seshan as its candidate.

He also indicated that the Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party would be sharing seats on a fifty-fifty basis though discussions were far from complete.

Thackeray felt the BJP should take a flexible stand over Ayodhya and, keeping in mind the situation, should also forget the issues of the temples at Mathura and Kanchi. He suggested a national monument be erected at Ayodhya where people belonging to all faiths could come together. Mosques and temples could be built elsewhere, he said.

Compiled from the media by Prasanna D Zore

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