TDP, BJP hold talks on seat adjustments

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, FEB. 11. The Telugu Desam and the BJP have resumed their deadlocked talks on seat adjustments for the municipal elections amid `high expectations' of hammering out an understanding at the earliest.

The three-member negotiating teams from both sides met at the Jubilee Hills residence here of the TDP president and Chief Minister, Mr. N. Chandrababu Naidu, on Friday morning.

Talking to reporters after the 90-minute talks, Mr. K. Yerran Naidu, leader of the Telugu Desam parliamentary party, and Mr.Bandaru Dattatreya, Union Minister of State for Urban Affairs, said the talks proceeded on very cordial lines and were 'fruitful'.

They expressed confidence that they would reach an agreement on the number of municipalities each party would contest.

After a broad understanding on the seat-sharing, the 3-member panels would sit again to discuss details. They aired optimism that this exercise would be completed by the week-end.

The delay in their meeting led to the talk that the negotiations had broken down. Mr. Naidu promptly dispelled the notion last night and got the talks going today.

Mr. Chandrababu Naidu, who convened a broad-based meeting of the party earlier in the day, spoke at some length on the need for TDP-BJP alliance to keep the Congress out in the elections. He said the two should function with better coordination and understanding, lack of which in some places cost them dearly in the Assembly elections.

The broad-based meeting was to select candidates and evolve strategy for the civic elections. It was attended by the politburo members, the State executive, Ministers, MPs, MLAs from urban areas, three-member committees appointed to study party prospects and look for suitable candidates. The TDP evolved a scientific approach to selection process relating to municipal chairpersons or mayors. Winnability was a major criterion.

He or she should be capable of effectively implementing party policies. Choice of corporators and councillors would be left to the three- member teams and local committees.

Mr. Chandrababu Naidu said the ``responsibility'' of ensuring success of the candidates rested on the Minister, MLA and the MP at the local level. Party feedback as well as his own inputs showed the TDP enjoyed a lot of goodwill.

Mr. Naidu said the party would release manifesto for the civic polls spelling out the programmes taken up in the past five years and envisaged for the next five years in municipal towns.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Regional
Next     : Two killed in police firing