K'taka: BSY took away good portion of our votes, says BJP

Bangalore, May 8: BJP on Wednesday said it was "shocked, upset and unhappy" about the defeat in the Karnataka Assembly elections and conceded that BS Yeddyurappa's exit was a factor in the rout.

"We are shocked. We are upset and unhappy about the loss. There is a combination of several factors that led to the fall of morale of the cadre," BJP General Secretary Rajiv Pratatp Rudy said. He said the party will analyse the cause of the loss and why it happened.

Another senior party leader Ravishankar Prasad said former party leader BS Yeddyurappa took away "good portion of our votes". However, he defended the decision on distancing from Yeddyurappa as there was "serious issue of corruption and Lokayukta also took a cognizance".

The party tried its best to accomodate Yeddyurappa but did not accede to "Yeddyurappa's my way or highway attitude". "Certain issues are non-negotiable and corruption is one such issue," he said adding, "since 1989, one who wins Karnataka loses Lok Sabha. So I am sure we will win Lok Sabha," he said.

PTI