'Political parties in favour of LS polls by April-end'

Major political parties are in favour of holding the Lok Sabha elections by April end, BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said today.

Naqvi, who attended a meeting with the EC today to discuss the ensuing polls, said that "a common view among the parties who attended the meeting today was to hold the General Election towards the end of April".

"Our party has demanded that the elections be held free and fair, and the EC must ensure this in all respect," Naqvi told reporters here.

Asked if the controversy involving CEC's letter to the President recommending for the removal of his colleague Navin Chawla figured during the meet, he said, "one of the representative of a smaller party raised the issue commenting that such controversy was not good for democracy."

The difference between the stand of the Congress and BJP on the controversy is that "while Congress is trying to shield an individual, we (BJP) favour that the prestige of the institution (EC) should not be damaged by such controversies," he said.