NEW DELHI, 26 December 2003 — India’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party yesterday used Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s 79th birthday to kick off its campaign for national elections due next year.

Thousands of BJP supporters, undaunted by the winter chill, gathered outside Vajpayee’s official home as Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishna Advani and other Cabinet colleagues showered him with bouquets and gifts.

“Time is important,” Vajpayee impressed upon the party workers. Without signaling whether the Lok Sabha polls would be held as scheduled or earlier, Vajpayee said, “One cannot rest after the victory in recent assembly elections as time is important.” The opposition parties’ attempt to confront the BJP by forming an alliance will misfire, Vajpayee said.

President A. P . J. Abdul Kalam called on Vajpayee at his official residence and gave him a bouquet and a letter of greetings.

“He is the leader of the BJP party and will be the country’s next prime minister so we are starting this election campaign on his birthday,” BJP party leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi announced.

The BJP began running newspaper advertisements extolling the government’s record since coming to power in 1998 and Vajpayee met party workers at one of the several birthday bashes.

Parliamentary polls are due by October but observers believe they may be held early after the BJP swept Dec. 1 regional elections, reversing a string of losses.

The BJP defeated the main opposition Congress in the states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh, although Congress retained local control in the capital New Delhi.

Vajpayee, in an address to supporters, said the BJP had made mistakes in the past but was well-intentioned in handling relations with Pakistan, which he is to visit next month for a seven-nation regional summit.

He last went to Pakistan in February 1999, traveling by bus to Lahore. Within months India and Pakistan were on the brink of war when Indian troops fought infiltrators in Kashmir’s icy Kargil region.

“When we were shaking hands with Pakistani leaders in Lahore and sipping tea, our soldiers were being targeted,” Vajpayee said.

“Why we were not put in the dock and why the nation patted our back was because people believe that we can commit mistakes... but we will never do anything against the interests of the country,” he said.

India has said Vajpayee may meet Pakistani leaders but will not hold substantive bilateral talks with them on the sidelines of the Jan. 4-6 South Asian summit in Islamabad.

Vajpayee, however, said in an interview published yesterday in the Hindi-language Dainik Jagran newspaper that the summit could lead to a “good beginning” toward closer ties with Pakistan.

“The basic question is whether Pakistan is prepared to give up its attitude of enmity toward India. If yes, a good beginning can be made to improve our ties from the SAARC summit,” Vajpayee told the newspaper.

“Pakistan’s conduct in the SAARC summit will show us whether it really wants better relations with India. We will only know in Islamabad whether there is any basic change in Pakistan’s attitude,” he said.

The prime minister retains high personal popularity ratings and the BJP has tried to portray him as still vigorous despite his age.