Overconfidence of many leaders led to BJP rout in Bengal polls: Suvendu

In his first public criticism after BJP's defeat in the West Bengal assembly polls, Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly Suvendu Adhikari on Sunday said the BJP lost because of several leaders' overconfidence that the party would get over 170 seats.

At a party meeting in Chandipur area of Purba Medinipur district, Adhikari said this smugness and overconfidence led to lack of understanding of the emerging ground situation.

"As we did well in the first two poll phases in these parts of assembly segments, many of our leaders became smug and overconfident. They started believing that the BJP will secure 170-180 seats in the elections, but they did not do the groundwork. This cost us dearly," the TMC turncoat said.

He said continuing work at the ground level was equally important as setting up targets, which was realistic but needed hard work.

Reacting to Adhikari's claims, Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said, "Suvendu has conveniently forgotten the slew of social welfare projects and a spree of development by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, and the mandate against BJP heavyweights' sustained campaign against the CM and TMC."

"The BJP was living in a fool's paradise as many of their leaders predicted that the saffron camp will cross 200 seats. Why he is finding fault with others? Didn't Suvendu also boast repeatedly that his party will get 180 seats at least? Actually, they don't know the pulse of Bengal, Trinamool does," Ghosh, the state general secretary of the TMC, said.