New Delhi: Firmly believing that legislation was the "only way" to facilitate construction of Ram temple at Ayodhya, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has extracted a commitment from 155 members of the dissolved Lok Sabha in its favour and is discreetly "campaigning" for candidates supporting its 11-point Hindu agenda.

The MPs, who signed on dotted lines of the VHP, include 141 of BJP's (Bharatiya Janata Party) 182 members, seven of BJD's (Biju Janata Dal ) 10, and five of Shiv Sena's 15 in the outgoing Lok Sabha, sources in the Saffron organisation claimed.

Interestingly, a member each of Trinamool Congress and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) also has given an undertaking that if any effort is made in Parliament to enact a law for construction of Ram Temple at Ayodhya, they would extend "active support" and work for mustering such support from other MPs also, they said.

The Ministers who signed in VHP's favour are M M Joshi, I D Swami, Sahib Singh Verma, Swami Chinmayanand, Vallabhai Kathiria and Bhavnabhen Chikhaliya, they said.

Almost all of them are contesting in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.

Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani and other Ministers whose names do not figure in the list were "not approached deliberately as part of the strategy", the sources claimed.

The VHP's form, which was to be signed, linked Ram Temple construction to "prestige of the Indian nation" and "national sentiment" and emphasised that it was necessary to construct it for harmony in the country.

To acquire signatures of MPs in support of the temple before the House was dissolved, a team of VHP leaders led by its secretary Rajendra Pankaj, approached leaders of almost all political parties for over a month.

The VHP team also had to face refusals.

Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee gave a "patient hearing and said she will understand the issue before deciding on signing," the sources said.

Similar refusal came from Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) leader Ajit Singh.

However, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar snubbed the VHP when its team approached for the signature, saying he did "not believe in such things and does not consider it an issue".

Significantly, the VHP also approached Congress president Sonia Gandhi for her signature, but she refused to meet them and put them off to senior party leader Arjun Singh, which they never did.

"The drive was disrupted because of elections as leaders were dispersed for campaigning," the VHP sources said.

But as electioneering started, VHP circulated copies of its 11-point Hindu Agenda to leaders of all parties seeking their overt support to it.

A message was sent out to its cadre to back those candidates who agree to its demands, irrespective of their political affiliations.