New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today (Apr 21, 2004) ruled out Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee contesting from any another constituency other than Lucknow in the wake of the stampede episode that has hurt the party's image.

"There is no proposal for Vajpayee to contest from any other constituency. He will only contest from Lucknow and he will be winning from there," party president M Venkaiah Naidu told reporters in New Delhi.

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Replying to questions at a press conference after a review meeting by top party leaders on the party's performance in the first phase of Lok Sabha elections, he said, "He (Vajpayee) will contest from Lucknow and get elected from there. There is no proposal to contest from any other constituency. He will only contest from Lucknow and he will be winning from there."

He said the Prime Minister had received offers for contesting from Chief Ministers of BJP-ruled States like Madhya Pradesh, but these had been politely turned down.