Delhi verdict 'quite unexpected', says Rajnath

NEW DELHI: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Rajnath Singh on Monday described as "quite unexpected" and "shocking" the Congress victory in Delhi assembly elections.

"In Delhi the results were quite unexpected and shocking," Rajnath Singh told reporters at the BJP headquarters, betraying a stunned expression. He said the BJP also considered the loss of Rajasthan "unexpected".

He said the BJP wins in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, which it has ruled since 2003, "were as expected".

Rajnath Singh conceded that the Mumbai terror attacks Nov 26-29 that killed 172 people had not impacted significantly on voters' minds despite the BJP's high-pitched efforts to pin the blame on the Congress.

"Local issues were given more importance, and voters it seems had already made up their mind (who to vote for)," he said.

He insisted that the state results were "not a setback for the BJP" in the upcoming parliamentary elections due early in 2009.

Former BJP president M Venkaiah Naidu added: "We are disappointed with the Delhi results. We accept our defeat in Delhi."