The BJP today began a soul-searching exercise to decide its future course of action in the wake of its dismal performance in the Lok Sabha elections.

BJP leader L K Advani [Images] is meeting chief ministers of BJP-ruled states and senior party colleagues to deliberate on a strategy to keep the party relevant in the future as also his continuance as the Leader of the Opposition.

Besides party chief Rajnath Singh, among the chief ministers attending the meeting were Bhuvan Chandra Khanduri of Uttarakhand [Images], Prem Kumar Dhumal of Himachal Pradesh [Images], Raman Singh of Chhattisgarh, Shivraj Singh Chouhan of Madhya Pradesh [Images], B S Yeddyurappa [Images] of Karnataka and Sushil Kumar [Images] Modi, the Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar.

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi [Images] had not turned up for the meeting, but party leaders said he was expected to be present.

Senior leaders Jaswant Singh, Murli Manohar Joshi and Sushma Swaraj, whose names are doing the rounds as possible successors of Advani in the Lok Sabha, were also present for the meeting.

Party general secretary Arun Jaitley [Images], Ananth Kumar, M Venkaiah Naidu, Thawarchand Gehlot and Vijay Goel were among those present at the meeting.

The BJP, which was hoping to form the government at the Centre along with its NDA allies, could muster 116 seats in the house of 543, while its NDA allies bagged 43 seats.