Veteran BJP leader B.S. Yediyurappa adopted a cautious approach on the proposed alliance between the BJP and the Janata Dal (Secular) for the Lok Sabha elections as well as seat-sharing arrangement between them.
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Mr. Yediyurappa, who had recently announced that the alliance had been approved by the party high command, played it safe when he visited Delhi on Wednesday to attend a meeting of the BJP parliamentary board.
“My earlier statement on seat sharing was based on JD(S) leader H.D. Deve Gowda’s meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah. As most of you know the two leaders have met; I am also aware of it. But seat sharing is a matter left to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mr. Shah. I don’t have the authority to decide it,” he told media persons in Delhi. “I am not aware of further developments in this regard. We will come to know about it after further discussions,” Mr. Yediyurappa said.
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To repeated queries on the seat-sharing arrangement, he said, “I don’t know what is in the minds of Mr. Modi and Mr. Shah.”
Sources in the BJP sought to downplay the cautious approach of Mr. Yediyurappa towards the proposed coalition by saying that it was only an indication that such sensitive issues would have to be announced by the party high command.
A senior leader of the party maintained that though it appears as of now that both parties would join hands, there are various tricky issues that need to be handled before announcing the seat-sharing arrangement. At the same time, the BJP central leadership was keen to have the JD(S) in its alliance fold not just for the Lok Sabha polls but also to put up a unified fight against the ruling Congress in Karnataka, he said.