Bharatiya Janata Party leader Chandan Mitra on Saturday said that projecting Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as the party's next prime ministerial candidate was a mistake, indicating that it could be a factor in the party's poor show in the Lok Sabha elections.

"Bringing up Narendra Modi's name in the middle of the campaign was a serious error of judgment," BJP leader Chandan Mitra said, while analysing the election results.

"It was a mistake, though every attempt was made to cover it up," Mitra added.

BJP leader Arun Shourie had put forward Modi's name as a possible prime ministerial candidate in the 2014 elections, a view which was supported by several party leaders.