By IANS
New Delhi : Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Rajnath Singh Friday accepted his party's defeat in the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.
Speaking to newsmen here Friday evening, after the party's Parliamentary Board meeting, Rajnath Singh refused to blame the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) for not being able to manage the campaign effectively.
Before the elections Rajnath Singh had claimed that the Sangh would this time play a pro-active role in campaigning for the BJP.
He said: "It was our own management and if there were any shortcomings, we are responsible for it."
The BJP president said: "The people's verdict is clear in UP but it is not for us. The people wanted to defeat Mulayam Singh Yadav. There were two alternatives available to them. They chose Bahujan Samaj Party. We will deliberate at length why people did not consider us the alternative to the Samajwadi Party. Anyway we humbly accept the verdict and will respect it by sitting in the opposition and acting as an effective, vigilant and constructive opposition."
The BJP managed only 50 seats in the 403-member assembly.