The Congress on Sunday sought to blame the H D Deve Gowda-led Janata Dal - Secular for the Bharatiya Janata Party's first foray into the South but dismissed suggestions that the Karnataka poll outcome showed shrinkage of the party base.

Party spokesman Abhishek Singhvi said that though the party has improved its position from the last elections, it was for "all those who oppose the BJP to also introspect as to how they divided the non-BJP votes, thereby helping the saffron party."

He said the Congress has no doubt it will emerge stronger from what is bound to be a brief spell in the opposition.

Singhvi dismissed BJP leader L K Advani's claim that the Karnataka verdict was a turning point ahead of the Lok Sabha polls and showed geographical expansion of BJP and shrinkage of Congress.

"All such generalisations are completely misleading and inappropriate," he said.