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February 23, 1998
ELECTIONS '98
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Sonia effect offset by Bhandari, crows BJPR R Nair in New Delhi The Bharatiya Janata Party is in an upbeat mood with the Allahabad high court staying Uttar Pradesh governor Romesh Bhandari's action of swearing in Jagdambika Pal as chief minister. Even before the high court division bench gave the order, BJP vice president Sunder Singh Bhandari told Rediff On The Net that the BJP would adopt a two-pronged attack: "to get the governor dismissed and to prove its majority on the floor of the UP assembly on February 27." After the Kalyan Singh government's swearing-in, the BJP is now hard pressed to get its majority proved on the floor of the house. But as far as the ongoing parliamentary elections are concerned, the BJP feels that they have the stolen the thunder from the rest of the parties who were waiting to get together to form a government in case of a hung Parliament. The party feels that the high court's interim order, its prime ministerial candidate Atal Bihari Vajpayee's fast unto death and governor Bhandari's decision to let the Loktantrik leader form a government without the mandatory floor test, would all go a long way in consolidating its support among the voters who had not yet decided whom to vote. Though Vajpayee has called off his indefinite fast after the Allahabad court's decision the party feels that it has evoked the desired effect. "They have done a great service for us. Whatever effect Sonia's campaign had has been offset by the UP governor's doing and Vajpayee's fast. Now that our position has been vindicated by the court is an additional boon," says a top BJP leader. A BJP national executive member spoke to Rediff On The Net about a secret exit poll after the first phase of polling that necessitated the alleged UF conspiracy. "It was a conspiracy hatched by Surjeet, Mulayam and Arjun Singh. Even Kesri didn't know about it. He was not party to it and was informed only at the very end of the operation. When they felt that we would get around 260 seats and we would make a clean sweep in UP they had no option but to hijack the state machinery and divert our cadre from the poll exercise," says the leader. It is also alleged that Defence Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav was wary of his victory from Sambhal. In UP, how the state machinery behaves during elections can almost decide the fate of elections. Now the BJP allege that police forces were removed from Sambhal soon after the change in the state government on the eve of the polls. But according to BJP leaders, the plan has been counter-productive since the party insisted that the cadre should just concentrate on the polling and not get distracted by the developments. BJP leaders say they are fully aware of the United Front's intention to repeat the 1996 exercise by ganging up with the Congress to avert a BJP government at any cost. It is even alleged that Communist Party of India-Marxist) general secretary Harkishen Singh Surjeet had sent feelers to the BJP ally Samata Party president George Fernandes, when George made his reservations on BJP's Hindutva agenda known. But George's public outcry was part of BJP's tactical line to keep the individual allies' constituencies intact. The BJP also feels that Vajpayee's fast would go well with all voters the who are going to the polls on February 28. In fact Vajpayee's decision to hold the fast was not arrived after a meeting. Even BJP leaders say that they were taken unawares by Vajpayee decision: "At the most he might have talked to Advani over the phone. No other national leader was with him when he took the decision." BJP leaders now are happy that they have got another election issue. And they feel that Vajpayee's acceptability has been capitalised to the maximum. In Andhra Pradesh, film actress turned BJP campaigner Vijayashanthi had also embarked on a fast soon after Vajpayee's decision.
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