Bypoll results not up to expectation, says Sushil Modi

Patna, Aug 25: With BJP's Bihar assembly by-elections performance taking a knock, senior party leader Sushil Kumar Modi today put up a brave face saying that it (bypoll result) was but one among many matches of the series.

BJP suffered a reverse, bagging four out of the 10 seats where bypoll was held, compared to the six seats it held earlier. The secular alliance partners RJD won three, JD(U) two and Congress one this time compared to three by RJD and one by JD(U) last time.

Putting up a brave face Sushil Modi, who led the party in the crucial bypolls which is being seen as the 'semi-final' to next year's assembly elections, told reporters "We accept the verdict of the people with humility and know that our performance has not been up to expectation." The bypolls were not a knock out match, but one among many matches of a series, he said.

"The scoreline after verdict in the assembly bypolls stands at 1-1," Sushil Modi said referring to the rival alliance's victory in the assembly bypolls and BJP's victory in the general elections earlier this year. The former deputy chief minister said the final round of the 'ongoing electoral battle' will be fought next year during the assembly polls where BJP will leave no stones unturned to ensure that the 'protagonists of jungle raj' did not return to power.

"We will review our performance in the assembly bypolls and address our shortcomings to make an all out effort to win the final round and ensure that the 'jungle raj' never return to Bihar again," he said. Modi also sought to make light of the verdict saying that the NDA had won 32 Lok Sabha seats in 2009 general elections, but lost 13 out of 18 assembly bypolls soon after and again romped home in the 2010 assembly polls in the state with "3/4 majority".

With JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar seeking to corner Prime Minister Narendra Modi by describing the verdict as expression of dissatisfaction of the people against the Centre for failing to usher in 'good days', he said assembly polls or bypolls are fought on local or state-specific issues and not on national issues.

PTI