Shiv Sena was looking for opportunity to attack BJP: NCP

New Delhi: Adding more salt to the wounds of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after its drubbing in Bihar, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Monday alleged that the Shiv Sena was looking for an opportunity to take a jibe at its alliance partner.

"It seems that the Shiv Sena was looking for an opportunity. The moment the results came, they started giving statements. The results in Bihar have put the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Prime Minister in dock and it is clear that they will be attacked for it. People will criticise them as they had made this election a prestige issue," NCP leader Tariq Anwar told ANI.

The Shiv Sena had yesterday said the BJP-led NDA's defeat reflected directly on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"Prime Minister Modi should accept his defeat as a party's loss always reflects on its leader. However, on behalf of the Shiv Sena, I congratulate Nitish and hope the Bihar results will bring a new turn for the nation," Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut told ANI in Mumbai.

The BJP was counting on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's growing popularity to counter the grand alliance led by Nitish Kumar in Bihar.

The people of the state, however, yet again reposed their faith in Nitish giving the grand alliance a landslide win in the polls.

The BJP, which had contested on 160 seats, managed to win just 58. The BJP's alliance partners Ram Vilas Paswan-led Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) and Upendra Kushwaha's Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP) performed extremely poor in the battle.

The grand alliance bagged 178 seats, while the BJP-led NDA won 58 seats.