NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party is to contest 200 seats in the coming Lok Sabha elections.
The party general secretary, Krishan Lal Sharma told newsmen were that these included even those seats which it planned to contest without any seat adjustments with Janata Dal, reports PTI.
In Mahakashtra, Kerala, Orissa and West Bengal, the BJP was contesting without an understanding with Janata Dal, he said.
The party’s central election committee during the last meeting had finalized candidates for 108 seats in nine states, he said, adding that the party had differed its announcement as talks for seat adjustments were still continuing with Janata Dal.
Sharma said BJP would announce its list of candidates the conclusion of its central election committee meeting on October 26.
He said instruction has also been issued to all its state units to complete state level negotiations with Janata Dal and send the final recommendations by October 26 to the central election committee.
Sharma clarified that BJP would not have any “informal or clandestine” seat adjustment with any party. “Whatever adjustments we have will be open,” he added.
He, however, said both Janata Dal and BJP were of “optimistic” of having seat adjustment and talks were continuing both at state and central levels.
Asked about the differences between his party and Janata Dal on seat adjustments in Gujarat, Sharma said the differences that arise at state level would be sorted out by its leader, Vajpayee and Janita Dal leader, Devi Lal.
Article extracted from this publication >> October 27, 1989
