He also said he would contest the election from the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency, provided the party high command cleared his candidature.

Addressing a public meeting at the Sheth Mangaldas Town Hall here, Advani said the BJP had ``won the confidence of the people'' by exploding another nuclear bomb; presenting a people-friendly budget; building ties with Pakistan with the prime minister's bus trip to Lahore; containing militancy in Kashmir; and solving the Cauvery water dispute amicably.

``All this has enhanced our credibility,'' Advani said. ``The BJP will be favoured by the anti-opposition mood prevailing among people. Besides, the anti-incumbent factor is absent.''

Saying that people were not in the mood to throw out the incumbent government, he said they would instead question the reasoning behind bringing down the BJP government. ``People will ask them (Congress) that if they did not have an alternative why did they bring a government.''

Advani said his party was updating the agenda of governance, drafted after the 1998 elections, in consultation with new allies like the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, after which it would come out with an election manifesto. He hinted that the BJP, if brought back to power, would amend the Constitution to avoid frequent elections.

``There are many democracies in the world where there is a fixed tenure for the governments and we will also examine the possibility of amending our Constitution,'' he said.

Advani said it was the unambiguous and bold initiative of his party on the Kashmir issue that brought normalcy to the trouble-torn state. He claimed that now some 2,000 tourists -- a much higher figure than two years ago -- were visiting Jammu & Kashmir daily.

The breakthrough on the Cauvery water dispute was brought about by his government, he said. ``The BJP will also try to resolve the Narmada water dispute the same way.''

On the crisis in the Congress, Advani did not elaborate as it was ``an internal matter of the party'', but only said the expulsion of three leaders would have national ramifications.

``It has come when elections are round the corner. More importantly, the issue which the expelled leaders have raised will haunt the coming election,'' Advani said. ``The party has not seen such a direct questioning of its leadership neither in the 1969 nor the 1977 splits.''

By asking Sonia Gandhi to give up her aspiration of holding the prime minister's chair, the expelled Congress leaders had not committed any crime or indulged in anti-party activity, warranting expulsion, Advani said.

He flayed the Congress for its stand on Pokhran II and on its role in the reinstatement of the Rabri Devi Government in Bihar. ``The massacre of innocents has become the order of the day in Bihar, and the Congress is standing by anti-Dalit forces by having the Rabri Devi Government reinstated.''

Among others who attended the function were State Home Minister Haren Pandya, senior party leaders Harin Pathak, and Bhanvnaben Dave.