Lucknow: Observing that there should be a "limit" to contesting elections, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee today (Apr 15, 2004) said that he was not inclined to enter the fray this time but agreed to fight keeping with the wishes of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its supporting partners.

"This time I was not inclined to fight the elections and I told my friends about it," he said while addressing party workers soon after filing his nomination papers for contesting Lok Sabha polls from Lucknow constituency.

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Political Parties in India

"There should be a limit to fighting elections. This time, my friends and our allies did not agree to it. I am a party worker and I have to abide by the wishes of the party," he said.

The Prime Minister said he disliked questions shot at him like why he was not retiring. "I came to politics with a great mission" to serve the nation.

He said democracy was not about one individual or party and in India it reflected the wishes and aspirations of over 100 crore people.

The country's democratic system has seen many elections and at times it appeared that democracy would be turned into authoritarianism but the people did not allow it, he said adding, "We will ensure that democracy is preserved at all cost."