BANGALORE, Jan 2: The Karnataka unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), though prepared to fight the coming Lok Sabha elections on its own, has kept its doors open for forging an alliance with Ramakrishna Hegde's Lok Shakti.Indicating this to media persons here on Thursday, BJP president B S Yediyurappa stated that while no decision had been taken regarding seat adjustments between the BJP and the Lok Shakti in the elections, the state unit would inform the party national leadership that it was prepared to contest all the 28 seats in Karnataka.
Maintaining that over 10,000 voters supported his party in the just concluded elections to the Legislative Council, Yediyurappa said that his party would make an earnest appeal to the electorate to give a clear majority to the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls.
Stating that he had information that four to five ministers in the Patel government would soon quit the Cabinet, the BJP chief said that the government would collapse soon as a result of internal squabbles in
the government.
He indicated that the State Selection Committee of the party would meet on January 6 and finalise the candidates for the 14 Lok Sabha constituencies and send the select list for the approval of the Central Election Committee.
The list of candidates for all the 28 seats would be finalised by January 15.Meanwhile, BJP national president L K Advani will kick off the party's poll campaign by inaugurating a two-day Women's Awareness Convention at Shimoga on January 4. The convention will be attended by over 25.000 women volunteers. BJP spokesperson Sushma Swaraj will be the chief guest at the convention. Advani will address public meetings at Arasikere, Tumkur and thereafter reach Bangalore for an overnight stay.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
