New Delhi: Outgoing Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee will be the leader of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) inside and outside Parliament, Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani said today (May 14, 2004).

"This time, the verdict is not in our favour nor that of any other party or combination. It is a fractured verdict...I hold that the verdict has been influenced by local conditions and issues," he told reporters.

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At the same time, Advani said, in many cases anti-incumbency factor had its effect. "In totality, the BJP and the Congress have become almost equal parties in bi-polar politics that emerged in the last decade or so," he said.

Asked who would now lead BJP, Advani said Vajpayee "will be the leader inside and outside Parliament".