It's a victory for Shiela Dikshit, say BJP and Cong

New Delhi, Dec (PTI) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
Monday said that the Delhi poll results were more a victory
for Shiela Dikshit and some leaders suggested that the party
could have projected a younger candidate for the chief
minister's post.

"The results that are coming so far here is a setback
for us," Arun Jaitley, BJP General Secretary, who is in-charge
of party affairs in the capital, told reporters here.

He said that the electorate had given a "clear vote in
favour of the Congress".

"It is a clear victory for the Congress in Delhi.
Morover it's the victory of Sheila Dikshit," he said.

Jaitley said he accepted moral responsibility for the
party's defeat in Delhi.

Searching for causes for the third consecutive defeat,
the BJP leaders said it could be anything between
"development" by Congress to portraying older leader as Chief
Ministerial face.

"A younger chief ministerial candidate, perhaps,
could have helped. Arun Jaitley could have been a better
candidate," BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad told
reporters.

He, however, was quick to add that it was a "personal
comment for a personal friend. Arun Jaitley is a dear
friend."

BJP had projected Vijay Kumar Malhotra, 78, as its
chief ministerial candidate.

In the Congress camp, party leader Jayanthi Natarajan
said good performance by Dikshit, 71, was the reason for her
victory. "Dikshit is not a young candidate but has a certain
appeal to the young voters and her policies on CNG and the
environment attracted the young voters," she said.

Malhotra was chosen over Vijay Goel and Harshvardhan,
both much younger to him, by the saffron party with the hope
that a senior candidate would be more acceptable to the rebel
group within the party.

"We will certainly review why our candidates could not
win in some seats that were considered our stronghold," he
said.

BJP president Rajnath Singh said local issues
dominated the elections in Delhi and claimed the voters had
made up their mind well in advance about their choice of
leaders.

Former party president Venkaiah Naidu said it was the
time for "analysis" as factors like candidate selection have
resulted in "a lot of damage".

Noting that the party failed in communicating its
issues to the voters, Delhi BJP leader and Mayor Arati Mehra
said, "Though inflation and terrorism were the very big issues
in these elections, perhaps we could not convince the voters
on the same the way it should have been."

She even conceded that new voters could have preferred
Congress because of the "developmental works like Metro,
flyovers and roads."

"It was a golden opportunity lost and a major
setback," party general secretary Vijay Goel told reporters.

Goel, who was also among the contenders for the BJP's
chief ministerial candidate, said "We need to work a lot in
the slum clusters and the unauthorised colonies to make up for
the damage". PTI Team
PMR
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