BJP should introspect bypoll losses, says Badal

A day after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) received a blow in assembly byelections in a number of states, its ally Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) advised it to introspect the causes of defeat.

A day after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) received a blow in assembly byelections in a number of states, its ally Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) advised it to introspect the causes of defeat.

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Responding to media queries on the sidelines of a book launch at Golf Club in Chandigarh, Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal said that such outcomes were normally a warning from the masses. And they should look into the reasons of the results, he added.

Barely four months after the Lok Sabha sweep, BJP lost 13 of 23 seats for which elections were held in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh Rajasthan and other states including Gujarat, the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

On its alliance with the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) in Haryana, the Punjab chief minister said that it was an old alliance and the BJP leadership knew about and it was the same during the Lok Sabha elections as well.

“I am going to Haryana for the birth anniversary of Chaudhary Devi Lal. I have been attending such ceremonies for over 20 years now,” he said, adding that his visit should not be misinterpreted.