Goa Power Minister Pandurang Madkaikar today said that the BJP could not perform up to the mark in recently-held Assembly elections because a section of the saffron party workers worked against the official candidates.
"There are at least 4-5 constituencies where our own workers worked against the party candidates as they were upset with the contestants," Madkaikar said while addressing a rally in Panaji.
The rally was organised to felicitate the BJP national president Amit Shah and Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar.
Besides Parrikar, Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu and Union Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari were present on the dais while Shah was yet to arrive for the function when Madkaikar made the statement.
BJP won 13 seats in the keenly-contested elections, eight lesser than its 2012 tally. The party, though finished second after the opposition Congress (17), cobbled up an alliance with various local outfits and Independents. Eventually, the BJP successfully proved its majority in the 40-member House under Parrikar.
"The BJP workers thought that if the BJP candidates are defeated (in polls) that won't affect the party's efforts to form government in the state. But when results were announced, they realised their mistake as the BJP could not form the government on its own," Madkaikar said.
The minister appealed to the party workers to go back to people and revive enthusiasm in voters.
"We have to perform and successfully win upcoming Lok Sabha elections," he said.
Madkaikar said that the workers should not think that the developmental activities in their constituencies would get affected because there are less BJP MLAs in the House.
"Have full faith in capability of Parrikar. He has vowed to develop entire Goa. There will be no injustice committed to any constituency," he said.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)