SAD, BJP to revise its seat sharing agreement

Charanjit Singh Teja

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, November 16

With the increase in the number of wards from 65 to 85, the SAD-BJP alliance will revise the seat-sharing agreement for the increased 20 seats ahead of MC elections. Leaders of both parties have been claiming that they have expanded their base in the city and deserve more seats.

The alliance has been contesting the election on the 65 seats of MC since 1997. The Shiromani Akali Dal, which is generally perceived as a party of farmers and rural Sikhs, used to contest 27 seats. While the BJP, which is a party of urban traders, used to contest 38 seats. The post of Mayor is also reserved for the BJP.

However, no official meeting has been conducted between both the parties, but local leaders observed that it would be matter of dispute in the next few days.

The SAD had raised the demand to increase the seats for the party before the 2012 MC elections. The Akali Dal claims 50 per cent seats in the city by claiming majority of the Sikh population in some wards.  However, the seat-sharing agreement is a matter that involves senior party leaders, but the local politician activists raise the demand every time. 

Gurpartap Singh Tikka, district president, SAD, said, “We have been conducting meetings in all constituencies. However, it has not been decided yet that who will contest from which seat. We have a close association with local BJP leaders. As 20 seats have been increased, we are claiming 10 of them. The party high command would decide on it”. 

The Congress had defeated the SAD-BJP alliance badly in the city during Assembly elections. No SAD-BJP candidate won from the five urban constituencies. Though the SAD and the BJP leaders are planning to question the Congress for not fulfilling poll promises, due to demonetisation, GST and other policies of the Centre government, the BJP also lost ground in cities.