BJP blames infighting for K'taka urban poll debacle

Bangalore, March 13: A day after its rout in

municipal polls, the ruling

blamed the debacle on infighting and vowed corrective measures to ensure the party wins the assembly polls due in two months.

Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders met in Bangalore on Tuesday to discuss the reasons for the dismal show in the polls to 207 urban local bodies held March 7, 2013. The results were announced on Monday.

"Infighting cost us. KJP (Karnataka Janata Party) and BSR Congress also took away our votes," Higher Education Minister CT Ravi told reporters after the meeting.

Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar, his two deputies KS Eshwarappa and R Ashoka, former chief minister DV Sadananda Gowda and a few Lok Sabha members attended the meeting.

KJP was formed by former BJP chief minister BS Yeddyurappa while BSR Congress by former BJP minister B Sriramulu.

Ravi said "we will take corrective measures. We are confident of winning the assembly polls."

On possibility of Yeddyurappa's return to BJP, he said: "Nothing is ruled out in politics."

However Yeddyurappa, at a separate press meet, gloated over the defeat of his former party.

"My aim was to defeat BJP in the urban local bodies poll. That has been achieved," he said.

The KJP won less than 300 of the over 4,900 seats in the local bodies.

The BJP won over 900 seats and was tied with Janata Dal-Secular while the Congress bagged more than 1,900 seats.

The BSR Congress managed only about 80 seats.

Yeddyurappa said he will not return to BJP though he hoped "BJP leaders will realise that the party has come to such a pass without me".

IANS