Dhanbad: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on September 29 said Atal Behari Vajpayee would remain the Prime Minister if the party is voted back to power in the general elections.

Vajpayee would be persuaded to be the Prime Minister "if he refuses to occupy the chair", Naidu told a press conference.

The BJP's slogan for general elections in 2004 would be "Vajpayee ka naam, Vajpayee ka kaam", Naidu said.

His remarks came about ten days after he had said at a press conference in Delhi that BJP would contest the next Lok Sabha polls not on the plank of Vajpayee's name but on the performance of his government raising speculation about the status of Vajpayee in a future BJP-led government.

The BJP, he said was optimistic about capturing 300 Lok Sabha seats in the next elections.

PTI