BJP cries over split milk in spate of meetings over Delhi poll debacle

The Delhi unit of BJP on Saturday continued to brainstorm for the second day in a row over its massive debacle in the national capital's assembly elections, in which it managed to win just eight seats in the 70-member House, letting the AAP to walk away with remaining 62.

While the party's election committee meeting was held a day after another similar meeting on Friday, the party was slated to hold more such meetings to ascertain causes of its dismal poll performance.

On Saturday itself, the party held at least two meetings on the issue.

The party's first election committee meeting on Saturday was held in the wake of party leaders receiving several complaints over roles of its municipal councillors in its election committee meeting on Friday.

Accordingly, the party leaders on Saturday had a meeting with the members of three municipal corporations, ruled by the BJP, and discussed its electoral defeat.

The meeting was co-chaired by party's national general secretary Arun Singh, Union minister Nityanand Rai, Delhi unit president Manoj Tiwari and organisational general secretary Siddharthan.

"In previous meetings on Friday with constituency 'vistaraks', in-charges, conveners and office bearers of different frontal organisations, several complaints about the corrupt image of corporations and lack of cooperation by councilors were received," he said.

After the first meeting, the members of the party's poll management committee provided their feedback to the party's senior leaders in another meeting.

Various factors that cropped up as possible causes of party's debacle in the Delhi assembly elections last week included the party's failure to assess the AAP's popularity over the spate of freebies given to Delhi residents by the state government besides the lack of adequate BJP's strategy to tackle it.

The other reasons which were tentatively attributed to the party's poll debacle included controversial statements by party leaders during electioneering, overcrowding by star campaigners and delayed announcement of candidates, said many participants of the meetings.

The BJP sources said the leaders will also discuss the party's poll fiasco with the party candidates in a bid to ascertain their poor show.

After the review meetings, a report will be submitted to the national leadership by Delhi BJP president Tiwari.

The BJP had been expecting to end its over two-decade-old dry spell in Delhi, but met a humiliating defeat at the hands of AAP.

The AAP, which won 62 seats, is to form the form government with Chief Minister-elect Arvind Kejriwal and members of his Cabinet set to take oath in a grand ceremony at Ramlila Maidan on Sunday.