The Times of India News Service
Times of India
August 12, 1999
Title: BJP announces pact with JD(U), TDP Author: The Times of India News Service Publication: Times of India Date: August 12, 1999 NEW DELHI: After weeks of hard bargaining and protests from its state units, the BJP on Wednesday announced that it would contest elections in alliance with the Janata Dal (United) in Karnataka and Bihar and the Telugu Desam Party in Andhra Pradesh. While the understanding with the JD(U) was announced jointly by BJP president Kushabhau Thakre and Lok Shakti leader Ramakrishna Hegde, BJP general secretary M Venkaiah Naidu told journalists that the party was going in for a tie-up with the TDP. The decision on a pact with the JD(U) followed a meeting between Karnataka chief minister J H Patel and home minister L K Advani, as well as one between Mr Thakre and Mr Hegde. Though the latter meeting proved to be the clincher, the former was significant as it was the first time in the current round of talks that a JD leader met a BJP leader - thus far the talks had been between BJP leaders and Mr Hegde and George Fernandes. JD(U) sources said Mr Advani told Mr Patel that he still had some reservations about a tie-up with the JD(U) because it was not so long ago that erstwhile JD members had voted to pull down the BJP-led government, but that he would respect the wishes of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee. For the JD(U), this was the first step to admission to the NDA. Mr Thakre said the party's decision was based on the need to jointly fight the Congress. However, when asked whether the JD(U) was to be admitted to the NDA, he said that would be announced by Mr Vajpayee, who was the chairman of the NDA. On Wednesday, after a long morning meeting, JD(U) president Sharad Yadav, Mr Hegde and Mr Fernandes jointly issued a press statement saying they had agreed to fight under the common symbol of the arrow. This comes in the wake of objections from the Samata Party, according to party sources, that its identity was being totally submerged in this new party - while the JD gets to keep its name, the new flag was that of the Lok Shakti. Meanwhile, the announcement of a pact with the TDP followed a telephonic conversation between Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Mr Advani and Mr Vajpayee. The BJP had demanded 10 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats and 40 of the 294 assembly seats - in the last general and assembly elections, the party had won four and two seats, respectively. The TDP, party sources said, has thus far agreed to give eight Lok Sabha and 25 assembly seats. A final decision will take a few days more.
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