×
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Gorakhpur taught us we can lose elections also: Rajnath Singh

Last Updated 17 March 2018, 09:19 IST

In his first comments on the recent setbacks for BJP in bypolls, Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday said the BJP now realises that there is no such thing like invincibility in elections and they will ensure that such defeats are not repeated.

Singh's comments at a media event came days after the BJP lost sitting seats Gorakhpur and Phulpur in Uttar Pradesh. Gorakhpur was represented by UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Phulpur by Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Chandra Maurya.

"Ho gaya, aage nahin hoga. (It happened. Now, we will ensure it won't be repeated," Singh initially said when asked about his reaction to the results. He added, "humein pata chala ki aisa bhi ho sakta hain (We know that this result is also a possibility)."

Till now, no senior central leader has commented on the election results though party chief Amit Shah has called a meeting for analysing where the BJP went wrong. The defeat in Gorakhpur has come as more dearly as it was considered a BJP stronghold with Adityanath representing the seat since 1998.

Adityanath had cited overconfidence and failure to realise the importance of the pre-poll understanding between Samajwadi Party and BSP as the reasons for the defeat.

Asked about Congress president Rahul Gandhi's criticism against the government, Singh said as opposition leader he would keep saying this and added, "time will tell against whom India was rising." Reacting to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks that "India is rising", Gandhi had retorted, "India is rising against you."

He was asked whether what would be the one thing he would like to do. if he becomes the Prime Minister. "I am not over-ambitious. There is a role for everyone. One's status would not rise just because one gets a particular position. But yes, if one is given the opportunity, they must fulfil it. Our Prime Minister is doing a very good job," he said.

ADVERTISEMENT
(Published 17 March 2018, 09:10 IST)

Follow us on

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT