Barnala BJP rejects seat sharing pact for civic polls

BARNALA: Trouble refuses to die down for BJP-SAD alliance in the state. Now, Barnala unit of BJP has expressed dissatisfaction over the seat sharing formula for upcoming municipal council elections finalized by the SAD and BJP leadership. The district committee has decided to take up the issue with state BJP president Kamal Sharma, alleging that the arrangement is highly tilted in favour of SAD.
Cabinet ministers Sikandar Singh Maluka of SAD and Surjit Kumar Jyani of BJP held joint meetings with leaders of the alliance on Saturday and announced the seat sharing formula. As per formula SAD is to contest on 20 seats and BJP 11, in the house of 31 members. In the 2008 elections, when Barnala Municipal Council had 25 members, SAD had contested 16 seats and BJP nine.
On Sunday, BJP district president Gurmeet Singh Handiaya said, "The party base has increased manifold in Barnala in the last six years. Accordingly, we want to contest 15 seats. The 11 seats allotted to the party are too few. We will take up the matter with party president Kamal Sharma." He said the district unit of BJP will make every effort to get equal share of seats with the SAD as party stood a better chance in the elections.
When contacted, Jyani said, "The seat sharing has been finalized as per the formula devised by senior leadership of both the parties and if the district unit want to raise the issue with state president, they are free to do so. We have followed the directions of the senior leadership in deciding seat sharing."
Echoing his views, Sikandar Singh Maluka said "Both parties have in-principle decided to contest seats as per the previous seat sharing formula and now BJP district unit has no reason to raise objections over it."