Thakre arrived here from Mumbai and left for Raipur on Tuesday. Talking to newsmen soon after his arrival, the BJP president said that his party and its allies are bound to get electoral benefit of the Kargil issue. He described it as a major victory, both in military operations and at diplomatic level and said the credit should go to the Vajpayee-led government. To a question about making Kargil an electoral issue, he said the Congress party has already raised the Kargil issue by posing certain questions.

Regarding the intelligence failure, he said it should not be discussed at this stage. He was of the view that it could be taken up at a latter stage. The matter could also be subjected to a close scrutiny as was done after the Chinese aggression in 1962.

Besides the efficient handlingof the Kargil issue, the issue of economic stability, the maturity with which the controversial issue like the Cauvery water dispute were resolved, the undisputed leadership of Vajpayee and the lack of unity among Opposition, are major factors that would ensure the success of the BJP-led alliance in the ensuing Lok sabha polls. He said the BJP would share power with its allies even in case of getting a comfortable majority on its own.

To a question about forging alliance with over a dozen-and-a-half parties, he said the BJP leadership is well aware of the ground realities of Indian politics. The leadership is aware of the fact that the BJP, at present, not strong enough to get majority on its own.

The BJP president said he saw no difficulty in reaching seat sharing understanding with the allies. The seat sharing would be more or less on the 1998 pattern, he added.