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Patna, (Bihar Times): The Janata Dal (United) is keen to stake its claim on Muslim-dominated Kishanganj and Bhagalpur parliamentary seats from the BJP for the coming Lok Sabha election.
Reports said that negotiations are on between the two NDA constituents and the Janata Dal (United) is trying to persuade the BJP to spare the two seats.
The argument put forward is that the Muslim voters would prefer the JD(U) over the BJP. Bhagalpur is represented by Shahnawaz Husain of the BJP while the same party unsuccessfully contested the Kishanganj seat in 2004. Union minister of state Tasleemuddin represents this constituency.
The JD(U) also argues that the Muslim community is always suspicious of the BJP. Now the party chief Rajnath Singh has further vitiated the atmosphere by saying that the Ram temple would be built at Ayodhya once it comes to power.
What is strange is the JD(U) national general secretary Shivanand Tiwary’s volte face on the issue of making Lal Krishna Advani as the Prime Minister. He told Kolkata-based daily The Telegraph “We should not confine negotiations to individual interests of BJP and JD(U). Rather, we should ensure maximum seats for the NDA from Bihar. That will pave the path for Advani to becoming the next Prime Minister.” Till a couple of months back he and other Rajya Sabha MP of the party, Dr Ejaz Ali, had been vehemently opposed to the BJP.
Reports said that the Janata Dal (United) is also persuading its ally to spare Chapra, Motihari and Nawada seats. The JD(U) believes that BJP’s Rajiv Pratap Rudi, who had represented Chapra in the past, is too weak a candidate against the railway minister Lalu Prasad.
The BJP is not going to accept all the demands lying down. Leaving Bhagalpur and Kishanganj to the JD(U) may leave former Union minister Shahnawaz Husain, high and dry. The party can not leave the lone Muslim face of the BJP in the Lok Sabha in a lurch. If he is denied Bhagalpur and not allowed to contest from Kishanganj, his former constituency, what will he then do? But then the problem for the BJP is that Shahnawaz is perhaps not in position to retain Bhagalpur and dislodging Tasleemuddin will also be a tough task for him.
On his part the BJP wants to put up its candidate from Muzaffarpur Lok Sabha seat. In 2004 George Fernandes won it by over 9,000 votes. If grapevine is to be believed the JD(U) is not likely to put up Fernandes on the health ground.
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