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JD-U chief Sharad Yadav on Sunday felt that controversial BJP leaders like Varun Gandhi and Narendra Modi could have spelt doom for the alliance.
"Varun Gandhi's hate speech and Modi's projection as prime minister could have hurt the NDA's chances in the election," he said.
His disappointment over the Congress's unexpected performance in Uttar Pradesh was evident.
The Congress won 21 Lok Sabha seats; the BJP won 10 seats and its ally, the Rashtriya Lok Dal won 5 seats. Both the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Samajwadi Party -- with 19 and 23 seats respectively -- fared better than the BJP.
"It is too early to comment on the results. We have to analyse the entire scenario and only then come to a conclusion," said Kalraj Mishra, a senior BJP leader from UP.
Other BJP leaders in the capital remained tight-lipped and refused to comment on the NDA's defeat. A number of BJP leaders, including Varun and his mother Maneka Gandhi, visited L K Advani at his home. Advani has reportedly said he wants to retire from politics. He has not been seen in public since the results and has not yet made a statement on the results.