The Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) defeat in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh is "not a surprise" because it focused on issues like Ram temple and name change, BJP's Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Kakade said on Tuesday. Assembly election results for five states-Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Rajasthan, Mizoram and Chhattisgarh-are trickling in and the BJP has little to celebrate. The Congress is well poised to form government in Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, and is leading in Madhya Pradesh.

Speaking about BJP's performance, Sanjay Kakade, the party's Rajya Sabha MP said, "I knew we would lose in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh but trends in Madhya Pradesh have come as a surprise."

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Kakade said the reason for the BJP's defeat in these states is because the party forgot the issue of development. "I think we forgot the issue of development that Prime Minister Narendra Modi took up in 2014 Lok Sabha election. Ram Mandir, statues and changing names of places became the [party's] focus [this time]," news agency ANI quoted him as saying.

The issue of constructing a Ram temple in Ayodhya and changing names of cities figured prominently in BJP's campaign in Rajastthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Telangana.