The Republican Party of India (RPI) will contest from all 28 constituencies in the State in the coming Lok Sabha polls and is confident of winning at least two seats, said Ramdas Athavale, RPI national president.
Addressing presspersons here on Thursday, Mr. Athavale said candidates for 13 constituencies had already been finalised and the rest would be selected during a State-level convention to be held in February.
The party would contest from 156 constituencies in the country, including 50 in Uttar Pradesh.
Expressing confidence that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) would form the government after the 2014 polls, Mr. Athavale said his party would extend support to the NDA. “We are also looking at an alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party in Karnataka as we are against the Congress, which is responsible for rise in prices of essential commodities and corruption in the country,” he said.
Suggesting that the BJP should consider changing its agenda and priorities if it wants to come to power at the Centre, Mr. Athavale said the party’s prime ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi, was now talking about development and not just Hindutva.
He said the Congress was able to come to power in Karnataka because of the split in the BJP.
“Now, if the former Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa comes back into the fold of the BJP and the party is united, the Congress will lose its hold,” he said.
He said the party would organise a massive rally in front of Parliament on December 17, demanding a legislation on job reservation in the private sector.
