BJP not to contest Sattankulam by-poll

The Bharatiya Janta Party has decided against contesting the Sattankulam assembly by-election in Tamil Nadu, scheduled for February 26.

BJP president M Venkaiah Naidu on Thursday conveyed the decision to national party secretary L Ganesan in Chennai.

The BJP decision was taken at a meeting of the party's parliamentary board on Wednesday in New Delhi.

It comes a day ahead of the nominations opening on Friday, and makes the party a suspect in the eyes of the National Democratic Alliance allies.

With the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, ally of the BJP, deciding not to contest the by-election, the focus has not shifted to the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, another NDA partner.

Talking to reporters after calling on party general secretary Vaiko at the Vellore Central Prison, MDMK treasurer and Union Minister M Kannappan said last week that a decision would be taken on February 1.

Should the MDMK decide to contest, then its allies --- DMK, BJP and the Pattali Makkal Katchi --- could be expected to support it. If it does not contest, then it could be a straight fight between the Congress and the ruling All India Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.

A section of the state BJP has been strongly supporting the ruling AIADMK, hailing some of the 'pro-Hindutva' decisions of Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, like anti-conversion law and the temple annadhanam scheme.

Though the state election committee of the BJP did recommend that the party field a candidate in Sattankulam, Ganesan said, the decision would ensure that the fissures within the NDA in Tamil Nadu did not get exposed.

The BJP had contested the seat as an NDA candidate in the 2001 general elections, and this time, the state leadership demanded that the DMK back it in Sattankulam.