Cong seeks to ignore BJP’s demand for fixed term for Lok Sabha

Congress on Thursday sought to ignore the BJP's demand for a fixed term for the Lok Sabha and state assemblies

Congress on Thursday sought to ignore the BJP’s demand for a fixed term for the Lok Sabha and state assemblies,saying it will take a view when the time

comes.

“Political parties will take a view as and when the time comes,” party spokesman Ashwani Kumar told reporters here when asked about BJP’s prime ministerial candidate L K Advani’s suggestion for a fixed term for the Lok Sabha and state assemblies.

On making voting compulsory,the party said that while all efforts should be made to ensure that people vote in elections,it did not agree on suggestions making it mandatory.

Kumar said increasing participation by people in voting will strengthen democracy but this should be done by persuasion and there was no need to make it mandatory by law.

Addressing reporters at the end of the third round of polling,Kumar claimed that the Congress will form the next government at the head of a secular coalition.

Earlier,Advani at Gandhinagar in Gujarat on Thursday sought a fixed term for Lok Sabha and state assemblies and wanted voting to be made compulsory with elections to be scheduled in the month of February.