Vajpayee govt to face elections in April-May

By Iftikhar Gilani

NEW DELHI: While Indian Foreign Secretary Shashank indicated in Islamabad that India-Pakistan composite dialogue process was unlikely to begin before the general elections this year, sources here said that the Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s government has made up its mind to face Lok Sabha polls in April-May.

Mr Shashank was quoted by the Press Trust of India as saying, “Because just to gloss over these very serious difficulties will not be very fair and as a democratic country, which is going for elections, which have to represent the views of the people, it is not just possible to gloss over the difficulties.” Elated over the recent successes in three crucial states, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leadership has decided that it was an opportune time to face people. It has asked Prime Minister Vajpayee to convene the cabinet meeting to recommend the dissolution of Lok Sabha. While preparations for annual budget are under way, the government may convene a one-day special parliament session to take a vote on account.

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