Rajasthan, Delhi poll
SAD not to contest
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Nov 5 — In a strategic move, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today decided not to contest the coming assembly elections in Delhi and Rajasthan and instead support its alliance partner, the BJP in the two states.

The SAD which had demanded at least 10 seats in the two states, was offered any four seats in the 70-member Delhi Assembly.

"There was no point in contesting just three or four seats and making a marginal presence on the electoral scene" a senior SAD leader told Tribune News Service.

The decision to stay away was arrived at a meeting of the SAD this morning. "The negotiations committee of the party was of the unanimous view that by opting out of the election scene, the SAD will strengthen the forces opposed to criminalisation and communalisation of politics" its secretary-general, Mr Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, said in an apparent reference to the Congress.

A statement issued by the party here said that the committee took the decision after considering all aspects. Instead of going in for short-term gains, the committee felt that by staying out of the contest, it would serve the long term objective of saving the country and people from the "corrupt, divisive and communal forces represented by the Congress".

The statement said that initially the SAD was keen on contesting some seats in Delhi, but changed its mind after the "Congress altered the whole social situation" by bringing to the fore elements who were alleged to have played a role during the November, 1984, anti-Sikh riots. This was an apparent reference to the Congress’s decision to nominate former union minister, Mr H K L Bhagat as head of its Campaign Committee in Delhi.

"Social harmony, peace and amity have been seriously jeopardised by the Congress move to throw in a person with an (alleged) criminal past into the fray", the statement said.

Mr Dhindsa said it had been decided that the top leadership, including the Punjab Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, and the SGPC President, Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra, would campaign in favour of the BJP candidates in Delhi.

Describing the decision as a proof of the strength and unity of the Akali-BJP alliance, the statement said the SAD had a solemn and sacred commitment to the country and the people in general and to the Sikhs in particular to ensure that the Congress did not get any opportunity to rear its "ugly head" again.

Meanwhile, The Janata Dal is likely to have an alliance with the Akali Dal (Amritsar) for 31 assembly seats in Delhi, according to the president of the Delhi Pradesh Janata Dal, Mr Satish Yadav.

Mr Yadav told Tribune News Service here that while the Chairman of the Janata Dal Parliamentary Board, Mr Ram Vilas Paswan, had finalised the names of candidates for 39 assembly seats, the party was negotiating for an alliance for the remaining seats with the party, headed by Mr Simranjit Singh Mann.

Mr Yadav said that his party was willing to let Mr Maan’s party opt for the assembly segments dominated by the Sikhs.

The general-secretary of the Delhi Pradesh Janata Dal, Mr Prithvi Raj Yadav, said that three JD candidates, including a woman, filed their nominations from Krishna Nagar, Gandhi Nagar and Nand Nagri today.

The Delhi Shiromani Akali Dal, a breakaway group of the SAD was likely to have an alliance with the Congress. The president of the group, Mr Balwinder Singh Talwandi said the party had short-listed the names of candidates for six seats, including Gandhi Nagar, Shahdara, Jangpura (Bhogal), Kalkaji, Vishnu Garden and Timarpur. "In case of an alliance with the Congress, we will opt for Shahdara, Kalkaji and Timarpur. We are not prepared to give up these seats," he said. Mr Talwandi said the party had decided to field Mr Balbir Singh, Thekedar Surjit Singh and Mr Mela Singh, members of the Delhi Gurdwara Committee for the Shahdara, Timarpur and Vishnu Garden assembly seats. The party proposed to field Mr Parminder Singh from Kalkaji. It was yet to finalise the names of candidates from Jangpura (Bhogal) and Gandhi Nagar.

Meanwhile, the newly constituted United Akali Dal (UAD) is comprising the All-India Shiromani Akali Dal (Panthic), the All-India Shiromani Akali Dal (Babbar), the All-India Sikh Conference and the All India Lubana Sikh Sanstha, is negotiating for an alliance with the Rashtriya Loktantrik Morcha, said Mr Gurcharan Singh Babbar, president of the All-India Shiromani Akali Dal (Babbar).

Mr Babbar told Tribune News Service here today that the UAD was keen on contesting from Tilak Nagar, Hari Nagar, Vishnu Garden and Jangpura (Bhogal). "I filed my papers for the Vishnu Garden seat today," Mr Babbar said.