What led to the series of defeats in Delhi for the BJP?
During the last municipal elections, the BJP’s vote share was 36 per cent, which increased to 37 per cent during the Assembly elections. However, this time it has reduced to 35 per cent. One of the reasons (for our defeat) could be that during the municipal polls there were many spoilers — the BSP got 16 per cent of the votes and the SP managed 5 per cent. This time, there were no spoilers and the Congress managed 57 per cent of the votes. Large pockets of urban voters came out to vote. What we could not foresee was that they were all voting for the UPA seeking a stable government. This is clearly evident if you look at the results of all metropolitan cities. In Kolkata, the CPM has not got any seat; in Chennai, the AIADMK could not get anything; and Mumbai too has a similar story to tell.

Do you think the party’s Hindutva ideology is responsible for these results?
Our Hindutva ideology is not a problem. We have had such defeats in the past too. In 1971, after the nationalisation of banks, and in 1984 we were down to 7-0. In 1971, however, we swept the municipal polls soon after the Lok Sabha elections. Therefore, this shift of votes is not permanent.

Do you think the MCD’s non-performance is taking its toll?
When you lose there are always a million reasons why you lost. This one could also have affected the results.

... contd.