BJP allocates seats to MPs 'democratically'

To avoid heart burning among its leaders, BJP has followed a democratic process for allocation of seats to its members in both the Houses of Parliament.     

In the seating arrangement submitted to the Lok Sabha Speaker, BJP has followed a system where Leader of Opposition, Deputy Leader of Opposition, party president, former party president and former Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha would occupy the front seat in the Lok Sabha.     

The seat next to the Leader of Opposition will be occupied by the Deputy Speaker as per convention.     

The seating arrangement for the BJP members in the Lok Sabha was chalked out by Deputy Leader of Opposition in the House Sushma Swaraj and that for Rajya Sabha was done by her counterpart S S Ahluwalia.     

Only two BJP MPs — L K Advani and Ananth Kumar — who used to occupy the front row in the last Lok Sabha, have been re-elected this time.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee did not contest while V K Malhotra is now Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly.     

Giving company to Advani on the front row are new faces — Sushma Swaraj, Rajnath Singh, M M Joshi and Jaswant Singh. All of them were in the Rajya Sabha.