Day before results, PM floats poll balloon

But as with many Vajpayee statements, the remark had another interpretation. It signalled a snap Lok Sabha poll in case the BJP performance was impressive tomorrow, as indicated by the exit polls.

‘‘Let there be no laxity on our part,’’ the PM told his party, ‘‘and be ready to face the people and inform them about the various welfare programmes being implemented by the Centre.’’ He asked MPs to go back to their constituencies soon after the winter session, start ground work and maintain ‘‘live contact’’ with people.

However, BJP parliamentary party secretary Vijay Kumar Malhtora was quick to insist that the PM wasn’t hinting at early elections. ‘‘His remarks should not be construed like this,’’ Malhotra told reporters. ‘‘He himself had said that elections are nearly a year away.’’

The mood in the BJP is upbeat following exit poll predictions that the party is set to perform far better than what opinion polls indicated. It is optimistic that apart from Madhya Pradesh, the states of Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh will also come its way. Vajpayee’s focus on the Lok Sabha polls is in conformity with this feeling.

At the same time, the PM seemed to be covering the possibility of setbacks, pointing out that irrespective of the outcome, it would be all gains for the BJP. ‘‘We are zero in the four states and whatever the outcome, we would gain,’’ he said. Vajpayee also had an explanation for the one state that seems to be definitely staying with the Congress: ‘‘The Delhi government has taken credit for the Centre’s achievements.’’

In an apparent reference to the Dilip Singh Judeo controversy, the PM in his speech cautioned party MPs against efforts by the Congress to tarnish the BJP’s image.

Vajpayee also claimed that ‘‘communalism had never been an issue’’ in the elections and that the BJP focus had always been development and good governance. Nor were the elections an ideological battle, he stressed.