Nitish Kumar addresses the press in Patna
The BJP may have won three states- and emerged as the largest party in Delhi - but Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar says that's where the good news ends.
"The BJP will receive a deep shock in 2014," he said, joining the legion of analysts who say that the BJP benefitted from a tidal wave of public anger against the Congress over corruption and inflation.
Earlier this year, he ended a 17-year alliance with the BJP, and attributed the break-up to the party's decision to elevate Mr Modi to top man.
The outcome of the state elections has also reportedly convinced the Bihar Chief Minister to rule out an alliance with the Congress for the general elections.
The BJP says Mr Modi's extensive campaigning galvanized support for its candidates Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chattisgarh.In Delhi, though the BJP is the largest party, it has been deprived of a majority in the capital by the new Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and its founder
Arvind Kejriwal. (
Read: 'Pehle AAP' says the BJP after falling short of a majority in Delhi)
"In a state like Delhi, it has become clear that if there is a choice, then people will choose a third option above the BJP and the Congress," Mr Kumar said, referring to the AAP.
The fact that the BJP did not sweep the city despite five large rallies by its presumptive prime minister is being seen as evidence that the 'Modi wave' that his party cites remains an unproven theory.