BJP Bihar president CP Thakur addresses the news conference at the party office in Patna on Wednesday. Picture by Ranjeet Kumar Dey

Patna, Feb. 2: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has said the country should go for mid-term polls. The party feels the UPA government has lost the people’s faith because of large-scale corruption and price rise of essential commodities.

Addressing a news meet at the party office today, BJP Bihar unit president C.P. Thakur told reporters: “The magnitude of the corruption during the UPA rule at the Centre has eroded people’s faith in this government and mid-term polls are the only solution of getting rid of the current regime.”

He said price rise was an issue that was haunting people. He added because of the central government’s failure on this front, people would love to see it replaced by one which could take care of their interests. Thakur claimed the BJP machinery was fully geared to face mid-term polls.

Replying to a query on whether BJP would project Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar as the NDA prime ministerial candidate or not in the eventuality of a mid-term poll in the country, Thakur said: “The party has not given any thought on this issue.”

Sharing information about the party’s preparation for the workers’ felicitation meet to be held in Patna on February 5, Thakur said: “National-level leaders, including BJP national president Nitin Gadkari and leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley, would participate in the programme.”

Other prominent leaders who have expressed consent to take part in the February 5 meet are BJP Bihar in-charge Anant Kumar and co-in-charge Dharmendra Pradhan.

“This would purely be a programme for party workers and speculations that the meet has some political connotation are baseless,” said the president. He added it was a thanksgiving gesture of the party towards workers without whose spectacular performance last year’s victory could not have been scripted.

He said to ensure that workers coming from different parts of the state did not face any problems, the MLAs and MLCs have been directed to make arrangements for their stay in Patna. “Arrangements would also be made at the meeting venue, Gandhi Maidan, so that workers willing to stay there could feel comfortable,” Thakur added.

As many as nine entrance gates would be put in place around Gandhi Maidan and these gates would have names of prominent personalities of Bihar.