The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : ‘Delay in holding polls will be raised in Parliament’

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Thursday, Jan 31, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

‘Delay in holding polls will be raised in Parliament’

Special Correspondent

BJP to field more women in Assembly elections

Congress scared that it will lose polls: Venkaiah
Advani expected to tour State in February

BANGALORE: The Bharatiya Janata Party has decided to make the delay in holding elections to the Legislative Assembly an issue in the next Parliament session.

Disclosing this at a press conference in Bangalore on Wednesday, BJP leader M. Venkaiah Naidu said: “We will launch a struggle both inside and outside Parliament against the delay in holding Assembly elections.”

The recently held national executive and national council meetings of the party had expressed concern over the delay in holding elections to the State Assembly, he said. Mr. Naidu alleged that the Congress was trying to put off the polls as it was scared of losing them.

There was an attempt to tag Karnataka polls with those for Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, he alleged. “The Congress can only put off the defeat, but not escape from it,” he said.

Meanwhile, close on the heels of adopting a resolution to reserve 33 per cent of its organisational posts for women, the BJP has decided to field more women candidates in the State elections.

Asked if the party would follow the 33 per cent formula for women while issuing ticket to contest the polls, Mr. Naidu said the party was committed to providing 33 per cent reservation for women both in Assembly and Parliament, if it came to power.

He said the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate L.K. Advani would embark upon the ‘Sankalp Yatra’ from February 6 to galvanise the party organisation and also strengthen the NDA in different States.

He is expected to tour Karnataka and other southern States in February.

The exact dates of Mr. Advani’s tour schedule in Karnataka would be finalised in a couple of days, he said.

The BJP had decided to focus on the southern States, especially Karnataka. More number of party central leaders would tour Karnataka in the coming days, he said.

He termed the decision on 33 per cent reservation for women in the party organisation as a landmark in Indian politics.

The BJP leader said the prevailing agrarian crisis, rise in prices of essential commodities, increase in terrorist activities, anti-incumbency factor and the vote-bank politics would go against the UPA Government.

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