Buoyed by the back-to-back poll victories in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday said it was the start of a 'process of change' that will take it to the Centre due to the 'all-round failure' of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance.
"A process of change has begun in favour of the BJP this year. This will continue and will ultimately culminate at the Central government," senior BJP leader L K Advani said after his party emerged victorious in Himachal.
He said the results of Gujarat and Himachal assembly polls should be seen in the context of the 'rapidly growing unpopularity' of the UPA government at the Centre, which has failed on all fronts.
"The people of India are eagerly looking for liberation from this non-performing government, which is not a coalition but, a bundle of contradictions," the saffron party's prime ministerial candidate said.
Looking back at the BJP's performance in 2007, he said the party won elections in four of the six states in 2007 and expressed confidence that it will emerge victorious in the next elections in Karnataka.
Though assembly elections are generally a vote on the state government's performance, the issues raised by the BJP like price rise, terrorism, neglect of peasants and farmer suicides are related to the Central government, he said.
"The all round failure of the UPA government has definitely influenced the elections of 2007," he added.
The BJP won assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat and Uttarkhand, while it fared miserably in Uttar Pradesh and lost in Goa. The party also came to power along with Akali Dal in Punjab.
"The resounding victory of the BJP in Himachal, coming after the major triumph in Gujarat a few days ago, shows that 2007 is ending with an unmistakable statement about the coming change in political equation in the country," Advani said.
"2008 will be a year of change in India," he remarked.
On the election victories, he said while the BJP's win in Gujarat was on account of a strong pro-incumbency vote, in Himachal it was the anti-incumbency factor. "In both states, the vote was against the Congress," he added.
Advani spoke to Prem Kumar Dhumal, BJP's chief ministerial candidate in Himachal, and another senior leader Shanta Kumar over telephone and congratulated them.
He said the party was successful in catapulting good governance and development as election planks.
Asked whether the party will raise the issue of internal security in the next elections, he said, "It has all along been an issue".
He said, "The situation within the country and the countries around us does warrant the matter being paid a much serious attention."