By IANS,
New Delhi : Barring disappointment in Uttar Pradesh, where it failed to improve its tally, the Bharatiya Janata Party had reasons to smile with the poll results Tuesday.
It has won in Goa, rebuffed an anti-incumbency wave in Uttarakhand to remain in contention for power and in Punjab is part of the victorious alliance with the Akali Dal, though its tally is down this time. It failed to open its account in Manipur.
BJP president Nitin Gadkari said there was a polarisation in Uttar Pradesh in favour of the Samajwadi Party (SP), which swept the polls with 224 seats out of a total 403.
Senior party leader Sushma Swaraj said the results in the five states were a mixed bag.
“It’s a mixed bag… It would have been very good if the party had done well in UP,” Swaraj told a news channel.
In Uttar Pradesh, the BJP banked heavily on OBC leader Uma Bharti but ended up with 49 seats, down from 51 in 2007.
Gadkari said the party will analyse the shortcomings in Uttar Pradesh and prepare for the next general elections.
“We believe these polls will give us strength. We will evaluate the factors in UP and will prepare for 2014 (Lok Sabha polls) with all our energy,” he said.
Citing reasons for not doing well in the state, Swaraj said: “The electorate wanted to get rid of Bahujan Samaj Party government and they selected Samajwadi Party as an alternative.”
In Punjab, though the SAD-BJP alliance won beating the anti-incumbency factor, the 2012 elections saw BJP’s popularity coming down from 19 seats in 2007 to 12 in the 117-member house.
In Uttarakhand too, the BJP defied anti-incumbency sentiments and was neck-and-neck with the Congress bagging 31 seats against 34 seats it got in the 2007 polls in a 70-member house.
Gadkari expressed hope that the party will be able to form a government in the hill state with support from independents.
The BJP had to bring in B.C. Khanduri to replace Ramesh Chandra Pokriyal as chief minister over allegations of corruption against him ahead of the elections.
Khanduri, however, lost his seat.
In Goa, the BJP has won simple majority in the 40-member house and is to form government with alliance partner Maharashtra Gomantak Party. It won 21 seats, against the 14 it won in 2007.
The saffron party could not open its account in the north eastern state of Manipur.