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'Ravana's Representative' brings swadeshi flock together

M D Riti in Bangalore

If the Bharatiya Janata Party in Karnataka is to be believed, it took the "representative of Ravana", Sonia Gandhi, to cement its alliance with the Lok Shakti and the Janata Dal (United).

State BJP president B S Yediyurappa, widely perceived as the next chief minister of Karnataka if the coalition wins, repeatedly stressed today that the "unusual circumstances" of Gandhi's presence in the state's poll scenario had brought the partners closer.

"We could not let a foreign woman rule the country; it is not the hunger for power, but the keen desire to win in this battle of swadeshi against videshi that brought us together," he said.

After confabulating for over an hour, the seat distribution between the BJP and its two poll partners in Karnataka was resolved amicably in Bangalore today.

Yediyurappa, Lok Shakti president Ramakrishna Hegde, BJP general secretary M Venkaiah Naidu, Chief Minister J H Patel, BJP politician M Rajashekhara Murthy, Lok Shakti politicians P G R Sindhia, M Raghupathy, Jeevaraj Alva and others went into a huddle and finally resolved that 120 assembly constituencies would be fought by the BJP and 95 by the others.

Similarly, 18 Lok Sabha seats will go to the BJP and 10 to the rest.

"There is still confusion over 32 assembly seats, from the Janata Dal-U people," Yediyurappa told the media at his party office in Bangalore. "They have assured us this will be resolved. Similarly, 12 of our people had to withdraw their nominations."

Tomorrow, the combine will launch its joint campaign at Bellary, with the participation of key leaders like L K Advani, Yediyurappa, Hegde, Ananth Kumar, Patel and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu.

Vajpayee will visit Karnataka on August 29 and September 1. On August 29, he will visit Belgaum, Hubli and Mangalore. On September 1, he will tour Bellary and Davanagere and return to Bangalore in the evening.

"We are confident that Sushma Swaraj will win over the others by 100,000 votes. We want to rout the Congress, which is fostering this unhealthy trend of bringing in outsiders, from this soil," Yediyurappa said.

As of now, Yediyurappa seems confident of winning at least 175 seats in Karnataka.

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