NEWS

BJP gears up for snap polls

By Vicky Nanjappa in Bangalore
August 20, 2007 15:41 IST

Even as the Congress makes a desperate attempt to save its government at the Centre, the Bharatiya Janata Party is all geared up to face a mid-term poll.

Leaders in Karnataka have taken into account the call by their leader Venkaiah Naidu to get ready for mid-term polls.

The BJP in the state which has its own share of problems regarding a transfer of power says that first priority will be given to mid-term polls.

They are sure that the government at the Centre will not survive and the country will have no option but to go for elections.

All these days, we though that the Left handed out empty threats and we never took them seriously, but now it seems as though the Left does mean business and will pull down the government, a senior BJP leader told rediff.com.

He also said that all the state units of the BJP have been sounded off and they would be coordinating on a daily basis to ensure that all preparations for the polls are in place.

Naidu had told BJP workers in Karnataka to be ready for any eventuality as anything could happen at the Centre.

Naidu also said that though the BJP was gearing up to face the polls in 2009, the workers must be ready for a snap poll.

Meanwhile, all is not too well with the BJP in Karnataka. The insecurity regarding whether the Janata Dal-Secular will hand over power to them still looms large over their heads.

The JD-S has not made any official statement regarding handing over of power and Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and his father H D Deve Gowda continue to remain tightlipped about it.

The Congress, however, seems divided over this issue. While the younger lot of leaders are against the Congress giving outside support to the JD-S to continue to remain in power, the older leaders are exploring the possibility of a JD-S-Congress government.

The younger leaders had even camped in New Delhi recently to urge senior leaders not to share power with the JD-S as it would carry a wrong signal in the next elections.

Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa is however confident that the JD-S will transfer power to the BJP.

"I have complete belief in the words of Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and there is no misunderstanding between BJP and JD-S on the issue," he said.

Lashing out at those Congress leaders who trying to enter into a pact with the JD-S, he said that they should try and sort out their internal differences first.

The Congress has enough problems and its leaders should sort that out first and only then interfere in someone else's business, he added.

Vicky Nanjappa in Bangalore

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