Even as the BJP looks for fresh partners in the NDA in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, a meeting of the ruling alliance has been convened tomorrow to discuss the issue of early elections.Sources disclosed here today that the meeting is aimed at taking a collective view, as informal talks have already taken place among NDA members. The related issue of passing an interim budget or obtaining a vote-on-account in Parliament will also be taken up, the sources said.NDA convenor George Fernandes had met BJP president M. Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday morning, while Biju Janata Dal leader and Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is already here. Though elections to the Orissa Assembly are due next year, the ruling BJD-BJP combine may opt for a snap-poll alongside the Lok Sabha elections. While battlelines are clearly drawn in most states, the scene is still hazy in three vital states — Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu — accounting for a total of 167 Lok Sabha seats.In UP, the BJP awaits the return of former CM and RKP leader Kalyan Singh, who is holding his cards close to his chest. The suspense is expected to be over with the PM’s return from Pakistan, as the deal has to be clinched between Kalyan and A.B. Vajpayee. Kalyan is capable of drumming up BJP prospects in at least 10 LS constituencies. The second crucial factor will be a possible tie-up between the BSP and the Congress. Apart from consolidating the Dalit vote, it will be a counter-magnet for attracting the minority-vote. The polite phone conversations aside, BSP leader Mayawati is likely to strike a hard bargain with Congress chief Sonia Gandhi. She has already indicated that the BSP will demand a chunk of seats in Congress strongholds in other states in return for concessions in UP. All eyes are rivetted on NCP in Maharashtra: Whether Sharad Pawar will finally go it alone or tie up with the Congress or the NDA. If he joins NDA, it will be a serious setback to Congress efforts to form a front. Besides, a Shiv Sena-BJP-NCP combine will make a formidable line-up at the hustings.In TN, it is not clear whether AIADMK will ally with the BJP or leave it in the company of PMK. If Congress and Left parties make a common cause with DMK, Tamil Nadu will obviously present a convergence point for the proposed two fronts against BJP.
