BJP looks for allies in Andhra, Kerala after tie-ups in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu
New Delhi, Feb 21 (IBNS): The BJP realises the fight for Lok Sabha in 2019 will not be as easy as they earlier thought and the party has started working on forging new alliances and strengthening existing ones.
With the formal announcements with the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra and the AIADMK in Tamil Nadu done, the party's immediate focus is work out the nitty-gritty of the alliances in Bihar, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu apart from tapping the possibilities of forming pre and post-poll alliances in Andhra Pradesh and Kerala, a Hindustan Times report said.
“Uttar Pradesh and Bihar have become a tight contest against a united opposition. We needed to firm up alliances,” a BJP leader said on the condition of anonymity. “We ceded space to allies such as the Janata Dal (United), buried differences with the Shiv Sena, and kept our ambitions in check in Tamil Nadu to forge alliances that can help us return to power.”
The report also quoted another BJP as saying: "Our alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal in Punjab remains intact and there is no major issue over number of seats we will contest... The numbers will remain the same."
In the 2014 elections, BJP contested from three of Punjab's 13 Lok Sabha seats while the Akalis got 10. The BJP is also likely to sacrifice a seat or two to alliance partners in Jharkhand.
In Kerala, the BJP is in talks with Bharatiya Dharma Jana Sena, an outfit with following among the OBC Ezhava community.
“They want about half a dozen seats and discussions are on,” the report quoted a third BJP leader. The BJP did not win even a single seat in Kerala last time where it contested from 18 of the 20 seats.
In Andhra Pradesh, the BJP has kept its options open for a tie-up with Pawan Kalyan of the Jana Sena.
Things are not looking good for the party in the North East with most opposition it on the issue of the Citizenship Amendment Bill.
“We did not press for the passage of the bill in the Rajya Sabha and we hope this will help assuage the feeling of other allies. They are certainly not supporting the Congress. We are hopeful they will stay with us and help win 20 out of 25 seats of the North-east,” another BJP leader said.
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