NEW DELHI: Major political parties on Friday pitched their hopes at the hosting’s each preparing to contest at least 400 seats or above in the coming Lok Sabha elections.

Though putting up a brave front no party seems to be free from a nagging doubt that it could again be a ¢hung Parliament judging from an assessment made by senior party leaders in private conversations.

Yet on record they are pinning their hopes on the “mature electorate” to give a clear verdict in favor of one party or another

Janata Dal veteran Madhu Dandavate said he was sure that the electorate having seen the “disastrous” results of a “hung Parliament” would see to it that it was not repeated. “The Indian electorate is mature” an optimistic Dandavate stressed.

The Congress-I Janata Dal (S) and BJP have all declared that they will be contesting upwards of 400 seats each in a bid to form a government on their own.

Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar heading the caretaker government of the Janata Dal (S) has gone on record to say that the party will contest as many as 500 seats.

The party has also made it clear that all its 62 members in the dissolved house including the eight who were disqualified under the anti-defection law will be fielded in the coming poll.

The National Front which ran the minority government before Shekhars will contest all the Lok Sabha seats that is more than 500 front spokesman P.Upendra of the Telugu Desam party said. The constituents of the front are the Janata Dal Telugu Desam the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam the Congress-S and the Asom Gana Parishad.

The Bharatiya Janata Party was preparing for the elections much before the dissolution of the Lok Sabha It had announced as early as January 31 at its national executive in Jaipur that the party would contest 450 seats.

The Congress-I which hopes to wrest power on the slogan of stability is expected to contest more than 450 seats leaving the rest to its allies like the ALADMK in Tamil Nadu which accounts for 39 Lok Sabha seats.

Asked about further seat adjustments with other like-minded parties Congress-I leader H.K.L. Bhagat said that poll adjustments and alliances would emerge only after the announcement of the poll.

Those who dream by the day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream by night.

Edgar Allan Poe.

Article extracted from this publication >> March 22, 1991