NDA will not form government if UPA falls: Naidu

Maintaining that it wanted to seek a fresh mandate from the people, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday said it would not try to form a government even if it had the numbers in case the United Progressive Alliance government failed the floor test in the Lok Sabha on July 22.

"I am saying it on record that the NDA will not try to form a government if the UPA falls during the vote of confidence. We will go to the people and convince them about the failures of the UPA government and seek their mandate," BJP leader M Venkaiah Naidu told media-persons.

"Election is the only solution," Naidu added.

Making a comparison between BJP-led NDA and Congress-led UPA, Naidu claimed that NDA was a stronger coalition. He said the Congress failed to maintain coalition dharma, leading to an exodus of supporters.

"Congress brought up the issue of nuclear deal even though it was not in the common minimum programme of the UPA and antagonised the Left parties," Naidu said.

The BJP, already upbeat from recent victories in assembly elections in Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka, has been gearing up for the general elections for the past few months. It was the first party to announce a list of candidates for the Lok Sabha polls.

Naidu said talks were on with smaller parties to win them over to the NDA camp. "Post-poll alliances may also take place and are not being ruled out," he said.