BJP will go it alone in TN assembly polls: Venkaiah

Chennai, Mar 7: Scotching speculations that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) might revive its ties with the All India Anna DMK (AIADMK), senior party leader M Venkaiah Naidu today (Mar 7, 2006) reiterated that the party would go it alone in the May eight assembly elections in Tamil Nadu.

Talking to newspersons after chairing a meeting of party district presidents and state unit office bearers here, Mr Naidu said the meeting felt that the party should stick to its decision of not allying with either with the AIADMK or DMK led fronts.

''It is not fair to discuss about this,'' he said when asked whether the party had received any feelers from the AIADMK to revive their ties, severed after the humiliating defeat in the May 2004 Lok Sabha elections.

Soon after the Lok Sabha poll, the state unit, after deliberations with senior leaders, including party President L K Advani had decided to go alone in the assembly elections. But of late speculations were rife that two parties might join hands again for the assembly elections, with a few of the party MLAs openly supporting the AIADMK government.

Citing the feedback from party leaders, who had toured as many as 220 assembly constituencies during their 'yatras', Mr Naidu claimed that there was no wave in favour of any party or front and a ''serious contest'' was on the cards in the state during this election.

There was a strong anti-incumbancy factor against the Centre and the Jayalalithaa Government in the state, he charged, adding for the first time, the state might head for a coalition Government.

On being asked whether the party was holding talks with actor-politician Vijayakanth, he said the party might take along with it the Janata Party, headed by Dr Subramaniam Swamy and a few other minor organisations.

UNI