BJP admits defeat because of not speaking in one voice

22 Oct 2009

BJP ADMITS DEFEAT BECAUSE OF NOT SPEAKING IN ONE VOICE

By Jal Khambata/R Rajagopalan

NEW DELHI: Conceding defeat in the Assembly elections in all three states "with all humility," the Bhartiya Janata Party on Thursday attributed it to the discordant voices from the party disheartening its cadres and supporters.

"I am conveying expectations of cadres and supporters that we will have to speak in one voice," party spokesman Ravi Shankar Prasad told a Press conference here, stressing the urgency of "ek swar, ek soor" from the party to quickly pull out of the second poll shock after the Lok Sabha elections.

He said the party will have to undertake an "honest analysis" of its shortcomings and introspect by taking a complete stock of all factors. No question of shutting eyes to the reality, he affirmed.

Prasad also sought to reject BJP Vice-President Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi putting blame on the electronic voting machines (EVMs) manipulation for the party's defeat. Asked to comment on Naqvi's contention, he skirted the question, stating that he was expressing the party's view as its spokesman.

He added that senior BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani had once asked the Election Commission to address the technological apprehensions expressed about the EVMs. The Election Commission has, however, examined and rejected all objections to use of the EVMs and the BJP respects its decision, Prasad said.

MNS DAMAGED PROSPECTS: Giving an initial analysis of the results at the party headquarters here, he said the BJP-Shiv Sena combine would have ousted the ruling Congress-NCP alliance but for the MNS of Raj Thackeray, a rebel nephew of Sena supremo Bal Thackeray, denting its prospects.

The first reports received from Maharashtra show the MNS damaging the BJP-Shiv Sena combine in more than 50 seats that would have made the difference in the poll result coming in its favour to stop the hat-trick of the rival Congress-NCP alliance, Prasad claimed.

He said MNS was not only winning 12 seats but it damaged prospects of BJP and Shiv Sena in at least 40 to 45 seats and the number may be still more, not less, when the full details of results are available.

Asked if the BJP will consider aligning with the MNS in future, Prasad shot back that his party has fundamental differences with the kind of politics played by MNS chief Raj Thackeray. No question of drifting away from the Shiv Sena, which is the BJP's oldest ally for the last two decades, he affirmed.

He said a lot of political significance lies in the MNS leaders telling TV channels on Thursday that their party can think of giving support to the Congress-NCP if it fell short of a clear majority.

FRACTURED HARYANA VOTE: In Haryana, Prasad said the ruling Congress had advanced the polls with claims of a clean sweep by capitalising on the Lok Sabha results could not get a clear mandate and that shows the voters were not satisfied with its rule.

He said the BJP won four seats and came second on eight others. He said the party had to break away from former CM Om Prakash Chautala's Indian National Lok Dal because of the pressure of its state leaders.

As regards Arunachal Pradesh, Prasad said the party was able to bag three seats despite a setback from its former MP and national secretary Kiran Jijju and seven of its nine MLAs defecting to the Congress. He said the UPA allies like Trinamul Congress and NCP showed distrust in the Congress in Arunachal Pradesh y contesting separately and winning five and four seats respectively.

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