CM should resign on moral grounds after defeat in by-polls: BJP

Shimla, May 20 (UNI) The BJP today sought Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh's resignation on moral grounds if the Congress candidate from Hamirpur parliamentary seat is defeated by a record margin.

''Since Mr Dhumal will win the Hamirpur parliamentary seat with a record margin, the state Chief Minister should resign on moral grounds,'' party's national vice president Sahib Singh Verma said, while addressing a press conference here.

He said Mr Dhumal would win the by-polls by huge margin and bettering the previous best of 1.29 lakh votes.

''It is Mr Singh who refused to contest elections and not Mr Dhumal who dared him for a straight contest from his own Rohru assembly constituency,'' he asserted.

Referring to the BJP's prospects in the coming Shimla Municipal Corporation (SMC) elections, he said the party would win around 20 seats in the 25-member corporation, which has seen 21 years of uninterrupted Congress rule.

Provided the party won the corporation elections, the people of the town would see a marked improvement in the town's infrastructure in the next six months, Mr Verma said.

He said, based on this performance, they have to option to bring the BJP back to power in February 2008 assembly elections defeat it.

He accused the state Congress government of violating the model code of conduct and said it would lodge a complaint with the State Election Commission and Central Election Commission (CEC) in this regard.

The Chief Minister, who was at Hamirpur to campaign for the Congress candidate, returned to Shimla early today by the state helicopter to campaign for the party candidates in the SMC elections, a clear case of violation of the model code of conduct, he said.

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