Another Tiff Within The NDA? Ahead Of Jharkhand Polls, AJSU And BJP Lock Horns Over Seat Sharing Arrangement

All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) president Sudesh Mahto on Tuesday (12 November) said that the party was waiting for the BJP response regarding seat sharing and alliance for the assembly poll.

"When talks were going on, BJP announced it's first list. We came out with our list after BJP announced their candidates. We wanted to fight on 19. We have submitted final list of the 17 seats to BJP. We are waiting for their response," said Mahto at a press conference here on Tuesday (12 November).

"Our party has decided to fight on those seats where we have a strong organisation. BJP imported legislators from other parties and wanted to fight on our seats," said Mahto.

The BJP wanted to swap some seats with the AJSU which was not acceptable to the latter. The BJP wanted to field it's candidates for the Lohardagga and Chadankyari seats. In 2014, the AJSU had fought from both the seats, winning Lohardagga but losing Chandankyari.

Amar Bawri had won the Chandankyari seat on a Jharkhand Vikas Morcha-Prajantantrik (JVM-P) ticket. Bawri later defected to the BJP along with five more JVM-P legislators and became the land and revenue minister.

Former Congress president and Lohardagga sitting legislator Sukhdeo Bhagat joined the BJP just before the poll announcement. Bhagat had won the Lohardagga seat in a bypoll.

Asked whether the AJSU has parted ways with the BJP, Mahto said "We are still waiting for the BJP response. There are two issues with the BJP. One was seat sharing and the other the common agenda for the poll. The basic issues of the state should be included in the common agenda".

He said "on several occasions the AJSU as a party and I have played the role of opposition. In an alliance we should avoid a situation where we have to protest against the government policies."

The AJSU has not been happy with the functioning of Chief Minister Raghubar Das on many occasions. AJSU leaders complain that the party was not consulted on key issues.

In response to the list of 52 candidates of the BJP, the AJSU has announced 12 candidates. They include candidates for four seats where the BJP has already announced names.

Meanwhile, the chief whip of the ruling BJP Radha Krishna Kishore on Tuesday joined the AJSU.

Kishore was denied a ticket by the BJP. He was the legislator from Chattarpur and the AJSU is likely to give him a ticket for the Chattarpur Assembly seat against the BJP candidate.

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)