New Delhi: Ruling out early Lok Sabha elections, Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani today (Dec 4, 2003) said the Assembly election results should make Congress realise that its "innings is over".

"I feel very happy with the results. I wish they (Congress) realise that their innings is over," he told reporters.

On the speculation following Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's appeal to MPs to propagate the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Government's achievements as general elections were approaching, Advani said Vajpayee had not spoken about holding Lok Sabha polls before time. "He (Vajpayee) had only asked the MPs to go to the people as only eight to ten months were left for the general elections."

He said his party had expected it would win "hands down" in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, but there would be a "stiff encounter" in Chhattisgarh because "we did not know what he (Chief Minister Ajit Jogi) is capable of. And Judeo episode only highlighted what he is capable of. But public support benefitted us".

"This round of elections has certainly strengthened BJP's position for the coming general elections," he said, adding that the "trump card" for the Lok Sabha polls would be governance and development.

From BJP's point of view, the win was "three-to-one, but from NDA's viewpoint it is four-one including Mizoram", he said.

PTI