With both the Congress and Left not in favour of an early general election, the BJP has decided to re-calibrate its timing to ensure that its campaign peaks in time for the scheduled Lok Sabha polls in 2009.The newly-constituted election management committee of the BJP headed by Rajnath Singh met on Tuesday amidst positive signals of the NDA alliance expanding to include the AIADMK, following yesterday’s much-talked-about meeting between Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and Jayalalithaa.Modi filled in L K Advani, the BJP’s newly-christened prime ministerial candidate, in detail this morning about the meeting. While other leaders of the election committee were present, BJP general secretary Arun Jaitley could not attend due to prior court commitments.The message that emerged from the meeting was to not hurry with the general election campaign but to synergise with the timing of the polls.Talking to The Indian Express, Advani said: “From August 2007 to the present, the UPA Government has been dysfunctional, with an element of instability and uncertainty enveloping it. The main issue ostensibly is the relationship between the Congress and CPI(M). whether the CPI(M) is going to withdraw support or the UPA Government will go ahead with the deal. But the real reason is that the two persons principally responsible for creating this situation have never had anything to do with elections.”While Advani chose not to identify these two leaders, the remark was obviously directed at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat.According to Advani, despite the flip-flops by the two sides on the issue, one thing was clear: nobody wanted an early election. So, the BJP leader felt, it was almost certain that the general election would not be held in the first half of 2008.Keeping this in mind, the BJP has decided to take its time to decide its alliance partners for the next polls, as well as consider its options on the plan for a second state reorganisation commission. On Uttar Pradesh, the leadership has decided to build a campaign that revolves around regaining the Opposition space. While Mayawati will be targeted over corruption and failures in internal security, the BJP has instructed its cadre to postpone plans to organise protest rallies across the state.In Andhra Pradesh, the BJP may go it alone, with former ally TDP choosing to play its cards close to its chest. Though it shares views on the need for a separate state with the Telangana Rashtra Samiti, the latter is talking in terms of minority reservation and a deputy chief minister from the minority community.
