BJP, AJSU heading for a split ahead of Jharkhand polls

By Pragya Kaushika
New Delhi [India], Nov 14 (ANI): The alliance between the ruling BJP and All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) in Jharkhand appears heading for a split over seat-sharing with the BJP saying that it has left nine seats for its ally who has to decide how it wants to move ahead.
Senior BJP leader and Jharkhand in-charge Om Mathur said that AJSU has put up candidates on some seats declared by his party and they have not been withdrawn.
He said the BJP's doors were open and AJSU should initiate a dialogue.
"Since the first-day BJP has always been concerned about its alliance and we have taken enough efforts as well. We requested that candidates should be withdrawn on declared seats but neither they said yes nor no," Mathur told ANI.
"They had a candidate from Hussainabad seat but we did not give symbol there. We have still left nine seats but now they have to decide that how are they going to move in the future. Our doors are still open but it all depends on their attitude. They have to initiate a dialogue," he added.
Party sources said AJSU has been adamant on contesting around 20 seats whereas BJP was not willing to give more than 16 seats.
BJP MP Mahesh Poddar said the party will contest alone if the stalemate is not resolved. If contesting alone, BJP is likely to fight 80 seats as it did not give a symbol to its candidate on Hussainabad seat in the election in the first phase.
"As of now, we will contest alone. We would contest with full courage. We are backing Vinod Singh, an independent candidate on Hussainabad seat," Poddar told the media.
"We tried to adjust with our alliance partner but it becomes difficult to be together when they raise such demands. We are going to contest these elections alone," he added.
Vinod Singh, who was supposed to be BJP's candidate from Hussainabad, has filed his candidature as an independent. The seat would have been with AJSU if an alliance was announced.
"The understanding was for 16 seats but AJSU later demanded more which was unacceptable to us. They also refused to withdraw their candidate on the seat from where state chief Laxman Gilua is contesting, " a party leader said.
Another leader accused AJSU of arrogance towards Chief Minister Raghubar Das.
"There have been differences between Das and AJSU chief Sudesh Mahto for quite some time and must have contributed to growing chasm between the two allies," the leader added.
AJSU has declared its candidates on 14 assembly seats.
These are Silli, Ramgarh, Lohardaga, Hussainabad, Gomiya, Badkagaon, Chandankiyari, Jugsilai, Simaria, Chakradharpur, Sindri, Mandu and Chhatarpur.
From Chakradharpur, BJP has fielded its state president Laxman Giulia.
The developments have signalled another ally trouble for the BJP after Shiv Sena had earlier this week snapped ties with BJP over government formation in Maharashtra. BJP's ally Lok Janshakti Party is contesting nearly 50 seats in Jharkhand. (ANI)