Mr Vajpayee's recent successes have spurred the poll moves

Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee responded by saying he would try to go to the polls "at the earliest".

The party is thought to want elections as soon as April, six months before the end of the government's term.

The BJP wants to capitalise on sweeping gains in state elections last month and improved ties with Pakistan.

The resolution was passed at a two-day election-strategy meeting in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad.

Setting the date

An early poll would have to be approved by the Election Commission, an autonomous body.

Mr Vajpayee wants elections to be held "by around April", a BJP spokesman told Reuters news agency, but a date will be set by the commission, which met last week to begin discussions.

The resolution was passed at a party meeting in Hyderabad

Election preparations will start after the cabinet recommends that the parliament's lower house be dissolved.

Mr Vajpayee told the party in Hyderabad that he had now asked his finance minister to prepare a national spending provision because the country's budget would not be passed in time.

This would help wrap up parliamentary business before dissolution.

A BBC analyst in Delhi says the BJP resolution was being seen as a means of pressuring the commission to accept the earlier poll.

The BJP has a number of elements in its favour for an early election.

The Indian economy is growing at a rate of 7% to 8% per year on the back of a good monsoon and record industrial production.

The stock markets are at a new high, and so are the foreign exchange reserves, at more than $100bn.

A recent visit to Pakistan and an agreement for talks on the disputed region of Kashmir has also boosted Mr Vajpayee.

India's national elections take around six weeks to complete.