BJP faces seat sharing woes in Tripura, Mizoram

Agartala/Aizawl, March 13 (IANS) The seat sharing impediments between BJP and its allies in Tripura and Mizoram remained unresolved even as senior saffron party leaders are expected to meet their allies in Guwahati on Thursday, BJP leaders said on Wednesday.

The seat sharing complications between the BJP and its ally Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) remained unsettled even as the leaders of the two parties held hectic meetings here on Wednesday.

The IPFT has been urging the BJP to allot it one of the two Lok Sabha seat in Tripura while the dominant party is adamant to field candidates in both seats.

Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) General Secretary Ram Madhav and IPFT President and Revenue Minister Narendra Chandra Debbarma separately told the media after the meeting that the discussion on the seat sharing issue would continue.

However, the leaders of the two parties indicated that the seat sharing hurdle would be "resolved soon".

Meanwhile, the BJP leaders in Mizoram have pointed out that the party would field a candidate against the ruling Mizo National Front (MNF) in the lone Lok Sabha seat in the state.

Both the IPFT and MNF are the members of the BJP-led anti-Congress alliance North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) of which Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is the convener.

Sarma on Sunday had said in Guwahati that the BJP and its allies will win between 19-21 seats of the northeastern region's 25 Lok Sabha seats, spread across eight states.

Ram Madhav also held long meetings with senior party leaders in Tripura including Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb, Deputy Chief Minister Jishnu Dev Varma and discussed the party strategy for the Lok Sabha polls.

Most ministers, legislators, district presidents, various frontal organisations heads and senior functionaries were present in the closed-door meeting held at the famous Rabindra Satabarshiki Bhavan here.

Madhav, accompanied by the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister, held a separate closed-door meeting with IPFT President Debbarma, General Secretary and Tribal Welfare Minister Mever Kumar Jamatia and other leaders.

IPFT's Assistant General Secretary and party spokesman Mangal Debbarma, accompanied by party vice-president Ananta Debbarma and other leaders, said here on Tuesday night that they have been requesting the BJP leaders to allow them to contest from the Tripura East Lok Sabha seat, reserved for tribals.

"If the BJP does not leave the Tripura East Lok Sabha seat, we would put up candidates in both the Lok Sabha seats in Tripura," Debbarma told the media.

Tripura has two Lok Sabha seats -- Tripura West and Tripura East. West Tripura goes to polls on April 11 and East Tripura, reserved for tribals, on April 18.

Meanwhile, Mizoram BJP President J.V. Hluna on Wednesday said in Aizawl his party is ready to forge an alliance with the like-minded parties and individuals in the lone Lok Sabha seat, and for the by-polls to Aizawl West-1 assembly seat.

"If any alliance is not formed with any party or people, BJP would go it alone in both the polls in Mizoram," the BJP leader told the media, adding that a meeting with senior leaders in Guwahati is likely to be held on Thursday to discuss the strategy for the polls.

Accusing the ruling MNF of "betraying the BJP", Hluna urged people to vote for the BJP candidate as there is a possibility of Mizoram having a minister at the Centre when a BJP-led government would be formed after the Lok Sabha polls.

Elections to Mizoram's lone Lok Sabha seat and by-polls to Aizawl West-1 assembly seat will be held on April 11. The by-election was necessitated after the Zoram People's Movement's (ZPM) legislator Lalduhoma vacated it to retain his Serchhip constituency.