Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (NR)  

Mangalore Dec 5: At a press conference held at the BJP party office here on Tuesday December 4, state unit BJP president and MP D V Sadananda Gowda on behalf of his party made an ardent plea for holding of early elections to the State assembly and even urged the Election Commission to hold the poll as early as February 2008.
 
Speaking to media persons, he informed that the month of February will be conducive for holding elections as examinations are held during April and May. Moreover, he felt that the onset of summer season will also usher in drinking water problems.
 
According to him the elections should be held at the proposed time as in the absence of an elected government, many development plans had come to a grinding halt. Early elections would put an end to the politicking and mudslinging amongst political parties, he opined.
 
Gowda even criticized the Governor saying that he with tacit support from Congress had stooped to the level of becoming a politician. He therefore implored "The Election Commission must ensure that its code of conduct is also binding on the Governor."
 
He further alleged that the Congress party was doing its utmost to drag the dates of the elections and therefore urged the EC not to give in to such pressure tactics to put-off the elections.
 
The BJP president further informed that his party, BJP which had 79 members in the recently dissolved assembly would field candidates in a total of 224 constituencies and would fight the elections on its own. Even after the elections, the BJP would not have an alliance with any other political party, he promised.
 
Gowda was quite confident about his party getting an absolute majority with 145 seats in the 224 member house. In the course of his talk he disclosed that the former minister and JDS leader of Mysore, G T Devegowda has shown an interest in joining the party, however he has requested a week's time to confirm his decision, revealed Sadananda Gowda.