Date:26/12/2003 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2003/12/26/stories/2003122609691300.htm

National

BJP national executive to decide on LS poll timing

By Neena Vyas

NEW DELHI DEC. 25. The Prime Minister and the Bharatiya Janata Party leadership will take a final decision on the timing of the Lok Sabha elections by mid-January 2004. If the polls are to be advanced — so far, the indications are that they will by a few months — a quick one or two day Lok Sabha session could be called before early February to take a vote-on-account before the Lok Sabha is dissolved.

The BJP general secretary, Pramod Mahajan, today said that a view on the timing of the elections would be taken by the national executive at its meeting on January 11 and 12, 2004 in Hyderabad. The issue was raised here today at the party's central office bearers' meeting, which was chaired by the party president, M. Venkaiah Naidu, and attended by the Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani.

It has been concluded that not only is the party feeling energetic after the victory in the recent Assembly elections, but the other side, the Congress is in disarray with internal problems plaguing it in Punjab, Kerala and Maharashtra. Now was the time to strike, most leaders felt.

The BJP leadership has also taken into account the fact that the Telugu Desam would like early polls, preferably coinciding with the Assembly polls in Andhra Pradesh, the Shiv Sena is raring to go in Maharashtra sensing that the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party combine will be an easy prey, and the Janata `parivar' has already embarked on its unity venture. In short, only a few other allies need to be sounded out before a decision is taken on advancing the Lok Sabha elections. That is expected to be done before the party's Hyderabad meet.

Apparently, several senior leaders wanted to know if the elections would be held earlier than scheduled to help them organise and prepare for them better. It was pointed out that a final view would be taken and they would be taken into confidence at the national executive committee meeting.

In keeping with the dominant mood in favour of early elections (the normal schedule would be in September and if they are held in April-May it would be only a few months earlier), several decisions were taken at today's meeting.

The party's organisational polls would be completed in 25 of the 31 zones countrywide in about a fortnight, dates for the presidential polls and the national council elections would be set at the executive meeting, a workshop for MPs and a meeting of the party chief ministers was being planned, and `chintan baithaks' — meetings of all Sangh Parivar organisations — would be held in each of the major States in the next few months.