Overconfidence caused BJP's failure in the assembly elections: Suvendu Adhikari

The smugness and overconfidence of several BJP leaders that the party would bag over 170 seats caused the loss of the party in the recent assembly elections, Bengal Leader of Opposition and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Suvendu Adhikari said on Sunday. It led to a lack of understanding of the emerging ground situation, Adhikari added.

"As we did well in the first two poll phases in these parts of assembly segments, many of our leaders became smug and overconfident. They started believing that the BJP will secure 170-180 seats in the elections, but they did not do the groundwork. This cost us dearly," Adhikari, who jumped from the Trinamool Congress ahead of the Assembly polls, said. He further emphasised the importance of groundwork in addition to setting up targets. He was addressing a party meeting in Chandipur area of Purba Medinipur.

Responding to Adhikari, Trinamool state general secretary and spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said, "Suvendu has conveniently forgotten the slew of social welfare projects and a spree of development by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, and the mandate against BJP heavyweights' sustained campaign against the CM and TMC."

"The BJP was living in a fool's paradise as many of their leaders predicted that the saffron camp will cross 200 seats. Why he is finding fault with others? Didn't Suvendu also boast repeatedly that his party will get 180 seats at least? Actually, they don't know the pulse of Bengal, Trinamool does," Ghosh added.