The BJP and newly formed party BDJS have reached an agreement on seat sharing in Kerala with the latter scheduled to contest in 37 of the 140 seats in the forthcoming assembly polls.
Both parties arrived at a consensus on seat sharing at a crucial meeting held in Thiruvananthapuram, leaders of the parties said.
As per the agreement, BDJS, floated recently by Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam (SNDP) would contest 37 seats, BJP state President Kummanam Rajasekharan and BDJS President Thushar Vellappally told a joint press conference here.
The controversy over seat allocation in Kovalam, Varkala, Vamanapuram and Kangangad, has been laid to rest with these being given to BDJS.
However, the BDJS asked for Puthukad and Nenmara seats as well but they didn’t get it.
BDJS party chief Tushar Vellapally said they will announce the list of candidates in a couple of days.
Rajasekharan said the National Democratic Alliance's state committee meeting would be held in the first week of next month and the candidate list of the partners was expected to be announced before that.
"We will cooperate with the decisions of the front. We have no issues with the seat sharing," SNDP General Secretary Vellappaly Natesan said.
BDJS is the new party formed by Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam, a powerful organisation of the backward Ezhava community in the state.
BJP and BDJS formed an alliance and decided to contest the elections together on March 9.
BJP is eyeing to open its account in the upcoming assembly elections in the state. The saffron party has so far not been successful in the assembly and Lok Sabha elections in the state. It, however, put up a better showing in last year's civic elections.
(With PTI Inputs)