BJP gears up for early elections to Lok Sabha

Hyderabad, Feb 21 (UNI) Visualising early elections to the Lok Sabha, the Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) in Andhra Pradesh will go to the polls on its own, projecting Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha L K Advani as the party's Prime Ministerial candidate.

Talking to newspersons here today, BJP State President Bandaru Dattatreya claimed that Lok Sabha elections could be held during this year.

He contended that the BJP alone could provide an alternative to the Congress-led UPA Government at the Centre with whose rule the people were ''fed up with''.

Mr Advani would visit the state in March end or early April as part of the party's mass contact programme, Mr Dattatreya, also former Union Minister of State for Railways, said.

Accusing the Union and State Governments of pursuing ''anti-people'' policies and compromising on national security with its soft approach towards terrorists, he feared disintegration of the country due to ''divisive vote bank politics'' of the Congress.

He said the BJP would provide 33 per cent reservation for women in the party posts.

He announced the formation of Election Management Committees, under the chairmanship of K Haribabu, to hold political training camps in seven zones during March and April and shortlist party candidates for the elections as and when held.

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