New Delhi, January 8
With the National Democratic Alliance today authorising Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to decide about an early General Election, the stage is set for the early dissolution of the Lok Sabha and an official announcement is expected anytime after the Bharatiya Janata Party national executive meeting in Hyderabad beginning on Sunday.
The party’s executive meeting is going to adopt a resolution urging the government to hold early elections, sources said adding that the Union Cabinet would then decide on an a vote-on-account and the dissolution of the Lok Sabha.
Briefing newspersons, NDA convener George Fernandes said Finance Minister Jaswant Singh informed the meeting about the sops announced by him today. These were welcomed by all coalition partners.
External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha took the partners into confidence about the discussions held at SAARC in Islamabad.
The meeting which lasted 45 minutes was attended by almost all NDA partners and it put the stamp on an already reached consensus on early polls.
Moments after Mr Singh and Mr Sinha were over with their presentation, Mr Fernandes said the Prime Minister should be authtorised and all leaders present at the meeting gave their verbal assent, sources said.
Earlier in the morning, Mr Vajpayee held high-level discussions with senior BJP leaders and Central Ministers at his office, ahead of this evening’s National Democratic Alliance (NDA) meeting .
The meeting, which began at 10.30 a.m., was attended by Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani, Finance Minister Jaswant Singh and BJP President M. Venkaiah Naidu.
Later, the meeting was joined by General Secretary Pramod Mahajan, Union Ministers Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj.
Meanwhile, the BJP President also convened a meeting with party general secretaries at the party headquarters to finalise the agenda for BJP’s Hyderabad National Executive beginning on January 11.
The meting also discussed a brief Parliament session, possibly for a vote-on-account or an interim budget, may also come up for deliberation at the meeting, NDA sources said.
The advantage of the ‘feel good’ factor created by surging economic growth, the recent victories of the BJP in three of the states which recently went for the Assembly elections and the successful visit of the Prime Minister to Pakistan are weighing in favour of holding early Lok Sabha polls.
A strategy about new allies and an action plan to scuttle the Congress attempts to form its own alliance, by roping in regional heavyweights, also came up for discussion.
Earlier in the day, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) Secretary-General and Union Minister S.S. Dhindsa came out in support of
Lok Sabha elections in May after the harvesting of wheat, the main crop of Punjab, was over.
“We will oppose any move to hold elections immediately after the April 13 Baisakhi festival, but will be happy if elections take place in the first week of May,” Mr Dhindsa said ahead of the NDA meeting this evening.
“The party has already conveyed its views to George Fernandes and we hope that the Alliance will take note of our position.”
Earlier, SAD President and former Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said in Jalandhar that he had requested the Election Commission and the Centre to avoid holding Lok Sabha elections in April while finalising the election programme.
The NDA government and the BJP had left no one in doubt about its intention to hold early Lok Sabha elections as a series of sobs to woo the middle class voters were announced today and enough indications available on a vote-on-account to be passed either by January end or early February.
Finance Ministry, though tightlipped on the issue, had recently sent letters to various ministries to ascertain their financial requirements for the first three months of next fiscal (2004-05).
Several ministries have confirmed receiving such letters.
Mr Advani and Mr Naidu also held a meeting of the BJP General Secretaries later in the day to finalise the agenda for the party’s National Executive meeting in Hyderabad on January 11 and 12. The National Executive is expected to endores the decison taken by the party high command and the NDA allies.
