2009 Poll Prospects And Alignments-2

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BJP to go it alone in U.P. elections</b>

Special Correspondent

Party to contest all 80 seats

Decision taken at the recent State Executive meeting

Party to launch a fortnight-long agitation

LUCKNOW: The Bharatiya Janata Party will go it alone in Uttar Pradesh in the next Lok Sabha elections. The president of the State unit of the party, Ramapati Ram Tripathi, said here on Thursday that the BJP would contest all the 80 seats in U.P.

Mr. Tripathi said at a press conference that this decision was taken at the recent State Executive meeting held in Vrindavan ( Mathura ). He ruled out the possibility of a pre-poll alliance with any party.

Mr. Tripathi said the political situation favoured the BJP which would emerge as a viable alternative in Uttar Pradesh.

The State BJP president slammed the Samajwadi Party and said it was incapable of taking on the Bahujan Samaj Party Government. Simultaneously, he attacked the Chief Minister, Mayawati, and said she lacked the courage to arrest Samajwadi Party president, Mulayam Singh, and General Secretary, Amar Singh.

Mr. Tripathi said the BJP would launch a fortnight-long agitational programme from August 9, which would continue till August 23 in protest against corruption, deteriorating law and order situation and appeasement policy of the BSP Government.
Rallies planned

He said this would be followed by rallies with the first public meeting to be held in Varanasi on August 28 and the second in Ghaziabad on September 2. He said rallies are proposed to be held in Meerut, Agra, Aligarh, Moradabad, Bareilly, Gonda and Gorakhpur.

From August 15 to October 15, booth-level workers’ conference will be held in all the 80 Lok Sabha constituencies in the State, Mr. Tripathi added.