BJP today said it was “shocked, upset and unhappy” about the defeat in the Karnataka assembly elections and conceded that B.S. Yeddyurappa’s exit was a factor in the rout.
“We are shocked. We are upset and unhappy about the loss. There is a combination of several factors that led to the fall of morale of the cadre,” BJP general secretary Rajiv Pratatp Rudy said.
He said the party will analyse the cause of the loss and why it happened.
Another senior party leader Ravishankar Prasad said former party leader B.S. Yeddyurappa took away “good portion of our votes.”
However, he defended the decision on distancing from Yeddyurappa as there was “serious issue of corruption and Lokayukta also took a cognisance.”
The party tried its best to accommodate Yeddyurappa but did not accede to “Yeddyurappa’s my way or highway attitude.”
“Certain issues are non-negotiable and corruption is one such issue,” he said adding, “Since 1989, one who wins Karnataka loses Lok Sabha. So I am sure we will win Lok Sabha,” he said.
BJP general secretary in-charge of Karnataka, Dharmendra Pradhan maintained that despite the defeat, the party will stay firmly committed to its ideology and the fight against corruption.
“BJP accepts the people’s verdict in Karnataka with humility and honours it. Initial analysis shows that we have incurred this loss in the elections due to the split in our votebase. The party had some inkling of this before the polls but it did not compromise on its principles and the fight against corruption,” Pradhan said.
The party claimed that it had to pay a “political price” for being firm in its fight against corruption.
"Despite this defeat, BJP will continue to fight against corruption and for its ideology,” Pradhan said.
The party also hit out at the Congress.
“If Congress thinks the mandate in Karnataka is against corruption then it should prepare itself for a mandate against it in 2014,” Pradhan said.
The BJP parliamentary board will meet this evening to discuss the poll results and the reasons for the party’s rout in Karnataka.