BJP suffers setback in UP

In UP,the results have not been upto our expectations, said Gadkari

Besides drawing solace from the clear setback to the Congress,the BJP given a facesaver by ally Akali Dals win in Punjab and a victory in Goa was tonight able to gloss over its poor performance in Uttar Pradesh as well as the narrow defeat in Uttarakhand.

BJP leaders,however,conceded that there were some lessons to be learnt from the manner in which the partys standing has dropped further in the politically crucial state of UP,where its tally reduced from 51 to 47,as well as in Punjab,where it is down from 19 to 12.

Unless we are among the first two parties in Uttar Pradesh or any other state,we will never be able to take advantage of anti-incumbency in such states, Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley said during a television debate.

Both BJP chief Nitin Gadkari and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj accepted that there was a need to introspect. In UP,the results have not been upto our expectations. There was a polarisation of votes between two parties. The people were against Mayawati and so chose SP as the alternative, said Gadkari.

One of the immediate consequences for the BJP is better management of allies within the NDA,who have gained at its expense the SAD in Punjab,the Shiv Sena in the recent BMC polls and the JDU in Bihar. The JDU has been unhappy over the break-up of its pre-poll tie-up in UP and is certain to indulge in fingerpointing at the BJP when the NDA meets next.

The boycott of the Assembly elections campaign by Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi,which the party tried to pass off as a result of his busy schedule,also underlined the schism between him and the partys top leadership. Sections of the party believed that if Modi had campaigned in UP,it would have made a difference to the partys prospects,but party president Nitin Gadkaris decision to give a crucial role to his key rival Sanjay Joshi in UP ended the scope of his participation.

The absence of a clear chief ministerial candidate,that got magnified after Uma Bharti was brought from Madhya Pradesh and the move to induct tainted BSP leader Babu Singh Kushwaha were also seen as moves that impacted the partys fortunes in UP. Interestingly,state party president Surya Pratap Shahi,also one of the four leaders under whom the BJP fought the election,lost from Pathardewa.

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In Uttarakhand too,Chief Minister B C Khanduri suffered a shock defeat in Kotdwar,although the party credited its revival it lost to the Congress by just one seat to Khanduri alone.

Gadkari,who almost single-handedly strategised the UP gameplan,may come in for criticism at some stage though he today rejected the contention that sections within were unhappy with him. As if to thwart such talk,he said the party does not hold anybody responsible for its performance in UP.

The party,though,seemed more content in the Congresss defeat. The Congress and the media created a big hype about Rahul. Congress made it a prestige issue. These results show this is the second consecutive defeat for Rahul, said Swaraj.