Silence at BJP's office in Delhi

There was a sense of uneasy calm at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) headquarters at 11, Ashok Road, on Sunday morning, soon after it became clear that Bihar was slipping out of the National Democratic Alliance's reach.

Till Saturday evening the BJP was hopeful of a majority and was preparing to celebrate in the party office. The results however soured the moods. The colourful tents, which were especially put in the anticipation of a victory, remained deserted till afternoon.

The shocked leaders decided to stay away from the newsmen desperately hunting for bytes, interviews and some insight into the BJP's drubbing in the elections.

Though no senior leader or union minister was present at the party headquarter, BJP's general secretary Ram Madhav was left to fend tough questions ranging from whether the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagat's statement on reservation was one of the main reasons behind the party's defeat or if party president Amit Shah could be re-elected as party president in the coming months. Other questions were regarding party's change of its development plank to negative politics in the middle of the polls.

In one corner, some unknown party activists clad in white kurta-pyjama were busy debating the reasons of defeat. Some of them had come fresh from Ground Zero and were blaming Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his alleged promise of giving ~15 lakh to every Indian within one year of rule. They were unhappy with concentration of power in a few hands.