No early poll to Lok Sabha: PM

On Board Air India One, Oct 26 (UNI) Ending speculation about early Lok Sabha poll, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the General elections would be held ''on schedule'' and that the early adjournment of Parliament session had nothing to do with it.

The Parliament was adjourned, two weeks ahead of schedule on October 24 ''in keeping with a decision taken by major political parties working together.'' ''This is not a decision of the government alone. This decision has been taken after full consultation with the main opposition party and other political parties,'' he told mediapersons on board his special aircraft on way back from five-day tour of Japan and China late last night.

Dr Singh dismissed the suggestion that the government was preparing for an early Lok Sabha elections and that was the reason why it had curtailed the days of business of Parliament.

''We would like Parliament to meet as often as there is a broad opinon among the members of Parliament. And in this case, it is the decision which has been taken by major parties working together,'' he said, while pointing out that the government had just obliged their request.

''It does not mean that the government was a force behind the Presiding Officers in any way.'' Dr Singh also claimed that most political parties were in the election mood in the context of the scheduled polls in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir, Chhattisgarh, Delhi and Mizoram.

''They want to go and work for elections. In the meantime, we have agreed that Parliament will reconvene in December.'' Asked if he would contest the Lok Sabha elections, he said, ''We will decide that when the time comes.'' He, however, said emphatically that the elections would be held on schedule.

Asked if the assembly elections in six states could be considered as a semi-final before the final test of his popularity in the General elections, Dr Singh said, ''all elections are in one way or the other is a test of popularity. But that is part of the democratic process one has to go through.'' UNI SH SBA BST0802