Several leaders among the BJP top brass conceded the decision to remove B S Yeddyurappa from the chief minister’s post and his subsequent decision to form his own party has been a major contributor, along with infighting, to their rout in Karnataka assembly poll.

The BJP Parliamentary Board met in New Delhi on Wednesday evening to discuss the reasons for the party’s massive defeat in the southern state.

BJP’s first government in the South not only failed to retain power but was reduced from 110 seats in the last assembly elections in 2008 to 40 seats this time.

While most leaders acknowledge that Yeddyurappa had his revenge in these elections by ensuring that BJP puts up a dismal performance, those who had insisted on the former chief minister’s ouster from the top post were firm that there cannot be a compromise in the fight against corruption.

Yeddyurappa had to step down in July, 2011 after the Karnataka Lokayukta indicted him in a land graft case. He finally quit BJP in November, 2012 and formed KJP.

“Division of our votebase has affected us as also the image of a lack of unity within the party in Karnataka. Also, the fact that some of our leaders walked out of the party and some formed another party,” BJP leader M Venkaiah Naidu said on Wednesday.

Naidu said the party will do a thorough analysis and take corrective steps. “We need to draw lessons and review the election results,” Naidu said.

However, BJP was quick to rubbish claims of a victorious Congress that the results depict the mood of the nation.

“State issues dominated these elections. It would be unfair and illogical to say this reflects the mood of the nation,” Naidu said.

He claimed if Congress is arguing that corruption was a big issue in these elections, then it will be washed out in the Lok Sabha polls as it is plagued by a series of scams.

BJP also dismissed Congress’ contention that it had won due to the efforts of Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul.

BJP pointed out that the Congress President and the Vice President had campaigned in Gujarat, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Goa, among other states, but the party had performed badly in the elections there.

 

 

Asked if BJP would now try to court Yeddyurappa and bring him back to the party or to NDA-fold, Naidu said there is no such proposal at the moment.

“The decision that we took at that time (to remove Yeddyurappa) was taken after careful thought. We took a principled stand and had to bear the consequences for it. We do not repent it,” Naidu said.

He maintained it was an “inevitable step” after the findings of the Lokayukta.

“We have taken a moral stand. BJP always takes a principled stand on larger issues of probity in public life. There is no such proposal to bring anybody back,” he said.

Naidu claimed BJP’s standards of probity are different from that of Congress which had gone ahead with Virbhadra Singh as Chief Ministerial candidate in Himachal Pradesh elections despite corruption charges against him.

BJP maintained corruption is definitely an issue before the nation and Congress will have to pay for it.

He refused to pin the blame for BJP’s defeat on any particular party leader and said in his party there is collective responsibility for victory or defeat.

Asked what impact Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s campaigning had on BJP’s performance, he said the chief minister of a state cannot be expected to make a huge difference in the polls in another state as local factors too are at work.

Former BJP chief Nitin Gadkari has been asked by the party to go to Karnataka on 14th May as an observer with General Secretary in-charge of the state Dharmendra Pradhan to oversee the election of the BJP Legislature Party leader.

The party is hopeful of getting the Leader of the Opposition post in the assembly despite a tie with JD(S) as it has polled a higher percentage of votes.