NEW DELHI, 31 January 2003 — Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani said yesterday his Bharatiya Janata Party favored early national elections, the first public indication it could advance elections to capitalize on strong gains in recent state elections. The elections must be held before Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s mandate expires in October 2004.
“The impact of the recent state election results has been strongly felt outside these states as well,” Advani told reporters in India’s financial hub, Bombay.
“Besides, there is a feel-good factor in many sectors due to the economic situation of the country. So when the two are taken into account together, it is felt it would be good if elections are held early,” he said.
Advani, who was in Bombay to discuss moves to advance elections with a key regional ally, said a final decision would be taken after consulting all parties in the nearly 20-party coalition.
Meanwhile, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi has begun the job of gathering allies to confront the BJP-led coalition during the parliamentary elections.
Displaying her readiness to consider alliance with DMK, Gandhi rang up the party leader and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi yesterday and congratulated him on his party’s decision to quit the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance.
Gandhi’s gesture is being viewed as her positive response to Karunanidhi suggesting a DMK-led alliance with the Congress against the AIADMK in Tamil Nadu.
Another positive signal for Congress is MDMK’s willingness to align with the Congress. MDMK ministers Gingee N. Ramachandran and M. Kannappan quit the NDA government yesterday and stated that they would fight the Lok Sabha polls under a DMK-led coalition.
