UP civic poll results do not signal BJP's revival: Cong

New Delhi, Nov 8 (UNI) The Congress today said the BJP's good showing in the Uttar Pradesh local body elections was not a cause for concern but was an issue for ''introspection.'' Rejecting a suggestion that the poll results marked the ''revival'' of the BJP in UP ahead of the February/March assembly elections, Congress spokesman Satyavrat Chaturvedi said the saffron party had traditionally been doing well in the local body elections.

As such this was not an indication of what was in the offing in the assembly elections, he said.

In fact, the Congress had tremendously improved its performance in the local body elections in Uttar Pradesh, capturing 33 Nagar Panchayats against 11 in 2001 and three Nagar Nigams as compared to just one (Kanpur) five years ago, he said.

This would enable the Congress workers to fight the assembly elections with greater enthusiasm, the spokesman said.

In the local body polls, the Congress accounted for 27.2 per cent of the votes, as compared to 11 per cent in 2001, while BJP polled 39 per cent, followed by the Samajwadi Party with 20 per cent.

The BSP did not contest the polls as that party did not want to get itself exposed, he said.

In Rae Bareli and Amethi, the Congress rode to power in seven of the 11 Nagar Palikas, while the SP romped home in one and independents in three. The BJP drew a blank, he said.

In 2001, the Congress had only three Nagar Palikas in the two Lok Sabha constituencies, represented by Congress President Sonia Gandhi and her son, Rahul, while the BJP and the SP also had three each.

On the ongoing sealing of illegal shops in Delhi, he said the Congress and its governments at the Centre and the Union Territory had in the past one year tried their best to resolve the issue without damaging the interests of the traders as well as the civic facilities. He sought to put the blame on a PIL before the Supreme Court for the present mess.

Mr Chaturvedi declined to comment on the outcome of the US Congressional polls, merely stating ''democracy zindabad.'' Asked about the party's stand on the death sentence given to deposed Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, he just repeated the government's reaction which said nothing should be done which would add to the sufferings of the Iraqi people.

UNI SN/SH RP BS1803