The Bihar leaders, presenting their analysis of the BJP's performance on the opening day of the party's national executive, claimed that the independent candidate in Purnea, Pappu Yadav, had projected himself as the JD(U) candidate and still, there was no attempt by JD(U) leaders to dispel the ``confusion.''

Moreover, most of the prominent JD(U) leaders from Bihar who were in the Cabinet were busy with Parliament and therefore were unable to campaign for the four Lok Sabha seats that went to polls last week, the leaders said. The BJP lost its three seats there.

They highlighted the sharp ``polarisation'' between upper castes and backward castes in Bihar which they claimed worked in favour of BJP-JD (U) candidates in the state. The fact that CPM candidate in Muslim-dominatedPurnea lost his deposit despite hectic campaign by both Laloo Yadav and Mohd Taslimuddin, showed that Laloo's hold over the Muslim-Yadav combine was waning, they said.

They explained BJP losing Bhagalpur to CPM the result of Laloo Yadav's decision to persuade his former colleague Chunchun Yadav, a three-time MP, to retire just four days before polling, thus tilting the balance in CPM's favour.

Party spokesman M Venkaiah Naidu blamed local factors like candidate selection and caste equations and not solely the role of JD(U) for BJP's poor performance on the four seats that went to polls last week. Of course, proper coordination was lacking in some constituencies between BJP and JD (U) workers, he said briefing reporters. Karnataka BJP leaders too found a ready excuse in ``unnatural alliance with JD (U),'' anti-incumbency factor against the J H Patel Government and the lack of cooperation between JD (U) and BJP workers, for their poor performance in the State.

They also blamed intra-party bickering amongtheir state unit leaders and ``burgeoning ambitions'' of some BJP and JD (U) leaders who were eyeing only Chief Minister's post, for having affected BJP's poll performance in Karnataka.

Earlier, BJP president Kushabhau Thakre seemed to have buried the acrimonious debate he generated at the Bangalore national executive in January by blaming the Government for not consulting the party before taking important decisions especially on the economic front.

In his opening remarks, Thakre warned the party cadre to be prepared for some harsh economic decisions by the Government. He also called upon them to explain to the people, the rationale behind short-term decisions that were bound to have a beneficial impact in the long run.

``The party and the Government have to play a complementary role. .. They can together, through their joint efforts, provide good governance. There are lessons to be learned from our experience in the States where our performance in this election has not been up to the expectation'', hesaid.