LUCKNOW: The BJP is said to have finalised seat-sharing formula with its allies Apna Dal and Nishad party for UP elections.
Apna Dal (Sonelal) chief Anupriya Patel and Nishad party chief Sanjay Nishad met senior BJP leaders, including Union home minister Amit Shah, in Delhi on Thursday where the two sides are believed to have reached a consensus on the number of seats.
BJP’s focus is on keeping the OBC vote bank intact amid the exit of mostly OBC leaders from the party.
Sources said that as per the seat-sharing formula, BJP has decided to give 18 seats to NISHAD Party, including three optional seats. These are Hamirpur, Banda and Chitrakoot. BJP has offered10-12 seats to Apna Dal (S).
Anupriya held at least two rounds of talks with BJP leaders: she met chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday and Amit Shah on Thursday morning.
Sources told TOI that the number of seats with Apna Dal is not final since Apna Dal leadership feels that the party has expanded its base in UP and deserves to contest on more seats.
A source said Apna Dal wants at least 20 tickets but may settle for15 seats.
Similarly, Nishad Party chief Sanjay Nishad had initially sought 32 seats from its bigger ally and had truncated the list to 24.
As per the seat-sharing formula, NISHAD Party will contest seats in Gorakhpur, Kushinagar, Azamgarh, Bhadohi, Sultanpur, Sant Kabir Nagar and Jaunpur. Interestingly, NISHAD Party will also contest from Rampur’s Suar, the bastion of Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan, who is presently lodged in jail.
On the three optional seats, sources said, if NISHAD Party wants it can field candidates on one seat each in Hamirpur, Banda and Chitrakoot.
If the optional seats are taken into account, the NISHAD Party will get 18 seats from the BJP or else it would have to settle at 15 seats. The meeting between the BJP and its allies gains significance since a narrative is being woven that OBCs are leaving the BJP — prominent OBC leaders Swami Prasad Maurya, Dara Singh Chauhan and Dharm Singh Saini quit the party in past three days and are expected to join hands with the Samajwadi Party.
From the BJP’s side, the seat-sharing with Apna Dal is final, a senior BJP leader told TOI. But sources in Apna Dal said the party also wants seats in Bundelkhand and Kanpur Dehat region besides Mirzapur, Varanasi, Prayagraj, Ayodhya.
In the 2017 elections, the BJP had given11seats to Apna Dal (S) and the party, which has clout among Kurmis, won nine seats.
Apna Dal (Sonelal) chief Anupriya Patel and Nishad party chief Sanjay Nishad met senior BJP leaders, including Union home minister Amit Shah, in Delhi on Thursday where the two sides are believed to have reached a consensus on the number of seats.
BJP’s focus is on keeping the OBC vote bank intact amid the exit of mostly OBC leaders from the party.
Sources said that as per the seat-sharing formula, BJP has decided to give 18 seats to NISHAD Party, including three optional seats. These are Hamirpur, Banda and Chitrakoot. BJP has offered10-12 seats to Apna Dal (S).
Anupriya held at least two rounds of talks with BJP leaders: she met chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday and Amit Shah on Thursday morning.
Sources told TOI that the number of seats with Apna Dal is not final since Apna Dal leadership feels that the party has expanded its base in UP and deserves to contest on more seats.
A source said Apna Dal wants at least 20 tickets but may settle for15 seats.
Similarly, Nishad Party chief Sanjay Nishad had initially sought 32 seats from its bigger ally and had truncated the list to 24.
As per the seat-sharing formula, NISHAD Party will contest seats in Gorakhpur, Kushinagar, Azamgarh, Bhadohi, Sultanpur, Sant Kabir Nagar and Jaunpur. Interestingly, NISHAD Party will also contest from Rampur’s Suar, the bastion of Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan, who is presently lodged in jail.
On the three optional seats, sources said, if NISHAD Party wants it can field candidates on one seat each in Hamirpur, Banda and Chitrakoot.
If the optional seats are taken into account, the NISHAD Party will get 18 seats from the BJP or else it would have to settle at 15 seats. The meeting between the BJP and its allies gains significance since a narrative is being woven that OBCs are leaving the BJP — prominent OBC leaders Swami Prasad Maurya, Dara Singh Chauhan and Dharm Singh Saini quit the party in past three days and are expected to join hands with the Samajwadi Party.
From the BJP’s side, the seat-sharing with Apna Dal is final, a senior BJP leader told TOI. But sources in Apna Dal said the party also wants seats in Bundelkhand and Kanpur Dehat region besides Mirzapur, Varanasi, Prayagraj, Ayodhya.
In the 2017 elections, the BJP had given11seats to Apna Dal (S) and the party, which has clout among Kurmis, won nine seats.
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