The government wants to hold parliamentary polls in May 2004 and the budget session is accordingly being advanced to commence on February 16, an official said on Saturday.

The general budget normally is held on February 28.

But a Ministry of Home Affairs official told rediff.com that Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and leaders of his Bharatiya Janata Party were inclined to hold the general election by May 15.

After initial discussions, they concluded that the dates could be clinched if the US weather satellite reports predicted a good monsoon.

He said the government had the option of passing the vote on accounts and then going for the polls.

The clamour for early elections has been growing within the party following its decisive victory in the assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. Although BJP leaders, including Vajpayee and Deputy Prime Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani, have ruled out early elections, they cannot ignore the fact that their party is on a roll at the moment.

"Either way, the government has nothing to lose. If unforeseen circumstances delay the polls, the BJP leaders cannot help it. But in any event, the government preparations for the polls have already gathered momentum," the official said.

He asserted that the government would soon announce a series of central projects benefiting the people. Already, there are television advertisements highlighting the government's achievements including the prime minister's Gramin Sadak Yojna.

In 1991, the short-lived Chandrashekhar government was all prepared to present its budget with the then finance minister Yashwant Sinha but he never got a chance as the government resigned, paving the way for the polls.

The official said party workers were being sent to the states with Vajpayee, Advani and party chief M Venkaiah Naidu exhorting not to fritter away the advantage and to ensure that the ' victory tempo' was maintained regardless of whether the polls were held early or not.