Jharkhand assembly elections: BJP, Ajsu Party cross swords over seat pact

RANCHI: Much like the constituents of the proposed mahagathbandhan, NDA partners - BJP and Ajsu Party - are struggling to strike a seat-sharing pact. At least two seats - Lohardaga and Chandankyari - continue to be a bone of contention between BJP and Ajsu Party.
Nominations for the first of the five-phase polls will begin on November 6 and end on November 13. Thirteen seats, including Lohardaga, will go to the polls in the first phase to be held on November 30.The polling date for Chandankyari, along with 14 other seats, is December 16.
While Ajsu Party is determined to contest both the seats, claiming them to be its traditional bastions, BJP is in a fix as Chandankyari is currently represented by a sitting BJP minister Amar Kumar Bauri.
Talking to TOI on Sunday, Ajsu Party supremo Sudesh Mahto said they have already apprised BJP of their preferences. He said, "We are strong in Chandankyari, while Lohardaga has traditionally been our bastion. We also contested Lohardaga by-polls in 2015. So there is no questioning of not fighting in these seats."
In 2014, BJP and Ajsu Party fought on 72 and eight seats, respectively, and left one seat for LJP. This time, Ajsu Party sources said they are aiming to contest 20-25 seats, some of which are represented by BJP MLAs. Mahto gave an open-ended answer when asked if he would choose to opt out of pre-poll alliance and explore post-poll tie ups, as reported in certain sections of vernacular dailies recently.
He said, " Pehle sangathan, fir gatbandhan (First organisation, then alliance). On all the places where we intend to fight, we have started strengthening our organisation through various activities for many months now. We have given BJP our choice of seats. We hope consensus will be reached."
For BJP, buckling to Ajsu Party's demands won't be an easy task.