NEW DELHI, 24 March 2004 — RJD President Laloo Prasad Yadav yesterday urged the Congress party to field Priyanka Gandhi either against Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee from Lucknow or to allow her to contest from Patna. “All she has to do is to file her nomination papers, I will ensure that she wins by a thumping majority,” said Laloo. He also welcomed the entry of Rahul Gandhi into active politics.

The RJD chief’s endorsement of the Gandhi siblings notwithstanding, he continued to stand his ground on the question of the seat-sharing arrangement among secular parties in Bihar. He urged his allies to be realistic in their demands for seats, and hoped that the seat-sharing arrangement among secular parties would be in place before the last date of filing of nominations. “Defeating the NDA should be our top priority,” said Laloo.

The RJD chief also advised his secular allies not to go by numbers alone. The main consideration, he said, should be on the winnability of the candidate. “Whoever among us wins, the seats will ultimately go into the secular kitty,” he said. Laloo also assured the Congress that he was committed to supporting Sonia Gandhi at the center. “I have done it before and will do so again,” he said.

Laloo has held two rounds of talks with the AICC general secretary in charge of Bihar, R.K. Dhawan, to thrash out an agreement between the two parties. He also advised the party to go by his assessment of the ground realities in thestate. “We have to devise the correct strategy to win in Bihar. The key to winning is to pick the right candidate so that we have the social combination in place,” he said.

Laloo, however, refused to divulge his final offer of seats to the Congress but said he has made up his mind on the matter. He also gave indications that he would like to identify the candidates to be put up by the Congress. “There should be acceptance from the masses. After all we have to be in adjustment for winning not losing,” he said.

Meanwhile, the noted Bollywood filmmaker, Prakash Jha has decided to try his luck in the forthcoming parliamentary polls from Bettiah in Bihar.

Jha who recently directed the controversial Hindi blockbuster Gangaajal has decided to contest Lok Sabha election from the Bettiah parliamentary constituency as an independent candidate.

“I am concerned about the state of affairs and the sheer helplessness that exists not only in Champaran but throughout Bihar,” said Jha.

However, Jha has decided to play it safe as the Bettiah seat falls under the Champaran district, a place where the film director grew up.

But he won’t have it easy as the seat has been won by the BJP in the last three elections. “He’s a very good and successful man but I doubt about his political venture,” said Abdul Bari Siddiqui, president, Bihar RJD.

Whatever is the electoral outcome, Jha says he is determined that he will play an active role in his state’s politics.

Key BJP Leaders Not to Contest

Several high ranking BJP leaders will not be filing nominations to contest elections to the 14th Lok Sabha. The process of filing nominations to the 142 Lok Sabha seats beginning today, will close on March 31. The decision of not including their high profile leaders in this race was taken at the BJP’s central election committee meeting yesterday.

Law Minister Arun Jaitley, BJP General Secretary Pramod Mahajan, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and party spokesman Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi are not in the electoral fray as contestants. The leaders would, however, be campaigning for the party. This was announced by the party spokesman Naqvi.

While Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Uma Bharati proposed Jaitley’s name for Bhopal, Mahajan’s name was suggested for Jaipur by Rajashtan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje Scindia. Swaraj’s name was doing the rounds for Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh) and that of Naqvi was considered for Rampur (Uttar Pradesh).

Dushyant Singh has been nominated for the Jhalawar Lok Sabha seat, represented by his mother before she became Rajasthan chief minister.

Former party president Bangaru Laxman’s nomination was rejected by BJP’s central election committee. Laxman’s name last hit the headlines when he was caught taking a bribe on camera in the Tehelka expose.

Anwar ul-Haq, a new entrant in the BJP, has been nominated for the Sheohar Lok Sabha seat.

Kailash Joshi, Rajya Sabha MP and senior BJP leader will contest from Bhopal, the Lok Sabha constituency which was earlier represented by Uma Bharati. Joshi’s candidature was decided at BJP’s parliamentary board meeting at Prime Minister Vajpayee’s residence.

The day was also marked by BJP and Janata Dal (United) reaching an agreement on seat-sharing for Lok Sabha and assembly elections in Karnataka. BJP will contest 24 Lok Sabha seats and the Janata Dal (U) four under this agreement. Out of the 224 assembly seats, BJP will contest 199 leaving the remaining 25 for Janata Dal (U).

Meanwhile, BJP’s attempts to woo Muslim voters in riot-scarred Gujarat floundered yestersday with a high-profile Muslim leader failing to attract crowds at an election rally.

Arif Mohammed Khan drew only 150 members of the minority Muslim community compared to usual turnouts of 2,000-3,000 people in Ahmedabad.