New Delhi: Stung by its resounding defeat, BJP's Parliamentary Board, the party's highest decision-making body, will meet today to introspect even as it said that the results will be analysed and corrective measures taken.
BJP sources said the BJP Parliamentary Board in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi is among the members is likely to meet post-lunch on Monday to assess the party's defeat today and ascertain the reasons.
Some BJP leaders felt that the "social combination" of the winning grand alliance could have caused NDA's defeat even as rumblings of discontent within the party followed its disastrous performance with its president Amit Shah coming under attack over the "high-pitched" campaign crafted by him.
Shah while conceding defeat congratulated Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and RJD chief Lalu Prasad on their massive victory and said his party respected the people's mandate. "Our good wishes to the new government to take Bihar on the path of development," he said.
"We respect the mandate of the people of Bihar. I congratulate Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad Yadav on their victory in Bihar Assembly elections," the BJP chief tweeted.
Many senior party leaders met Shah at his residence as it became clear that the BJP-led NDA was headed to a massive loss in the high-stakes elections.
After the meeting, BJP general secretary Bhupender Yadav when asked if party leaders' controversial remarks on the reservation issue had affected party's performance in Bihar, said the rival combine had a "social mathematics" which went in their favour.
Union Minister and senior BJP leader Jitendra Singh said that he believed there were no wrong statements from the party on the reservation issue, when asked whether the comments on review of reservation policy by RSS head Mohan Bhagwat harmed BJP in Bihar elections.
BJP general secretary Ram Madhav dismissed suggestions that the appeal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on the wane in view of Bihar poll verdict but said the party will take corrective measures. "We try to learn from every election. Give us some time. We will take corrective measures," he said.
He said what led to the NDA's loss will have to be analysed after they received all figures, adding that not one factor leads to victory or loss in elections. Madhav said all efforts were made to influence the Bihar poll outcome and suggested that return of awards by artists and others over "climate of intolerance" was one of them.
In Patna, BJP leader and former deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi said the 'grand alliance' emerged as a "strong social combination" and that the party would analyse its results and poll strategy by visiting every constituency in the coming days.
On the reasons for the NDA's defeat, he said, "I think they were successful in putting together a strong alliance. One of the reasons why they were successful is that their alliance was a strong 'social combination'."
The BJP leader said the party will analyse its loss and the results by talking to each candidate after the polls and visit all the constituencies in the coming days.
"Our overall performance has not been good, be it BJP's or of its alliance partners. We will analyse the results and do introspection to assess the reasons of our defeat.
"NDA had a lot of hopes. We have got less than expected seats. What are the shortcomings and what was bereft in our poll strategy, we will analyse them and introspect," he said.
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