BJP chief Amit Shah, state-in-charge Om Mathur and State leaders, for the third day, on Saturday, continued to labour on the second list of the party candidates for UP Assembly polls and were in talks with the defectors and allies.
The second list of the BJP for the first two phases of Uttar Pradesh polls could not be released as allies and ‘defectors’ were seeking ‘more seats’ that the BJP leadership was willing to offer.
The party was also set to re-work its ‘ticket strategy’ with an eye on SP-Congress alliance which could not take off on Saturday with the former refusing to part with more than 100 seats to Rahul’s party. RlD has already unlatched itself from the so called ‘Mahagathbandan’ in UP (styled on Bihar model) and announced that it would contest all 403 seats in the State.
Back in home turf BJP tried to pacify former BSP leader Swami Prasad and RK Chaudhary who shifted to the BJP last year as it tried to negotiate with allies from Apna Dal of Union Minister Anupriya Patel and Bharatiya Samajwadi Party of Om Prakash Rajbhar. There has been several rounds of talks with the two allies but issue could not be clinched, according to sources.
While Patel is seeking minimum of 30 seats, Rajbhar wants 10 seats in their areas of ‘influence’ in UP.
Some reports said Swami Prasad Maurya, the erstwhile trusted lieutenant BSP supremo Mayawati, has threatened to part company if his quota is not accepted by the BJP. However, source in the BJP dismissed it as "usual pressure tactics" during ticket allocation.