NEW DELHI: The BJP has evolved, two-pronged start ‘of game ring Support and arranging for abstentions to win the crucial majority test in parliament later this month.

 Banking on the reluctance of most to face another election so soon, Party strategists are hopeful that the Pressure being mounted on regional groups and high-profile MPs by the industrial world and opinion makers in favor of a Vajpayee led coalition will do the trick for them.

 Intermediaries and BJP troubleshooters are working on three fronts to achieve the seemingly impossible, before May 31 ie. the deadline is by the President for the confidence test, The first is to woo the regional parties. The second is to exploit the inherent contradictions within the Janata Dal and is vulnerability to splits, to Arrange for abstentions during the Sentience vote, 10 being followed by 2 Partnership in the coalition government. And the third is to explore the possibility of the Congress abstaining or even splitting.

BJP Strategists feel that in the political scenario that has developed over the past few days, an NFLF led government is virtually ruled out on two. Counts the inability of the combine. To settle the leadership issue and the damage it has done to its credibility as a cohesive, stable entity. The tussle for power has thus boiled down {0 a straight contest between a B.J.Pled coalition headed by Vajpayee and a Congress led front headed by Narasimha Rao, “The MPs will have to choose which they prefer,” declared a BJP leader.

Despite the hardline stand taken by the Third Front last week, party strategists are hopeful of wooing the regional groups over. “They must realize that it is more advantageous to them to join our coalition because we do not have any presence in their states,” emphasized a BJP general secretary. “We need to have as broad a representation as possible in our Cabinet and they could get half a dozen important Cabinet posts for themselves in our government.” The party’s focus is on the TDP and the DMKTMC combine. A BJP ‘source said that some six TDP MPs were already in touch with them, reed ‘because they were sec thing with resentment over a possible alliance with the Congress, which is their main rival in Andhra Pradesh.

In addition to the pressure from within, TDP leader Chandrababu Naidu also has to bate with his main financiers in the State, most of who want the party to join the B.J.Pled coalition. In fact, according to the BJP sources, some of these financiers, who include two large industrial houses in AP; have been acting as intermediaries between the BJP and the TDP.

While the party hopeful of breaking the TDP’s intransigence, the DMKTMC combine is proving to be a harder nut to crack, BJP sources said that the DMK’s starting point for negotiations is the extension of Article 370 to Tamil Nadu. They are, however, hoping that the anti Rao sentiment in the state will work on the Tamil leaders to reconsider the option of joining the BJP coalition, particularly since the BIP does not pose a political threat to them back home. As for the JD dn the Samajwadi Party, BJP strategists point out that political ‘compulsions in the states will lead (0 the hoped-for split, The resounding defeat of Laloo Yadav in Bihar coupled with the equally disappointing performance of Mulayam Singh in Uttar Pradesh and Biju Pau Orissa have already prompted MPs in these parties to review their options.

Article extracted from this publication >>  May 22, 1996