More than a defeat for NDA

MANDATE 2004

To say that verdict 2004 caught the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies by surprise is an understatement. By 12 noon, when the trends of the elections was clear, not a single senior BJP leader was on the party office premises.

Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee had already sent a word that he wanted to meet his senior party colleagues and had sent indications along with the invitations for the meeting that he would be resigning.

Although party leaders like Arun Jaitley and Pramod Mahajan tried to put up a brave front as the results started pouring in, Jaitley admitted that even though Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee was still the most preferred Prime Minister, ignoring "regional interests" had proved costly for the party.

A tacit admission that letting go of former NDA allies like the DMK, MDMK, and PMK as well as dropping the Telangana demand from the agenda had cost it dear.

Although BJP President M Venkaiah Naidu refused to comment on the reasons for the electoral debacle, inner murmuring within the party have already started. At a meeting held at the Prime Minister's residence, some blame apportioning was done by various leaders.

According to sources present at the meeting, the decision of the party to go with the India Shining campaign came in for particular criticism by senior leaders.

"It is obvious with yesterday's results that the only way to beat anti-incumbency is through emotive issues not through development and good work," said a senior party leader.

"Had the campaign succeeded we would have changed the face of Indian politics," he added.

The Prime Minister at the meeting of senior leaders this afternoon however, also blamed the early calling of elections. The term of his government had six months to go before elections were to be called and it was contrary to his own wishes that polls were held early.

According to sources within the party, party president Venkaiah Naidu consoled the PM by saying that the results would have been the same if the mood of the people was anything to go by.

The gizmo driven managerial style of campaigning also came in for some flak, the understanding was that nothing could replace old style door to door campaigning.

"We appeared too rich, with all these gadgets, and altogether cynical about the race to power," said a another senior leader. The BJP parliamentary party will be meeting on Friday to contemplate the electoral debacle, and identify reasons for losing.

Party strategist Pramod Mahajan has been packed off to Orissa and Arun Jaitley to Bangalore where the BJP might be in with a chance to form the state government.

"Victory and loss are part of battle, lets see what's in store in the future," said M Venkaiah Naidu after the Pms decision to resign.