'Accept People's Verdict': Rahul Gandhi Says After Congress Rout in All 5 States

Decimated in all five states, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said he humbly accepted the people’s verdict. He also thanked Congress workers for their hard work and dedication.

As of 4.30pm, the Congress won two of the 403 seats in Uttar Pradesh, 18 of the 117 seats in Punjab, 18 of the 70 seats in Uttarakhand, 12 of the 20 seats in Goa, six of the 60 seats in Manipur.

In his tweet, Rahul Gandhi said: “We will learn from this and keep working for the interests of the people of India.”

As early as October last year, Priyanka Gandhi, the Congress in-charge of Uttar Pradesh had made a big political move by announcing 40% of the party’s tickets for women candidates. The Grand Old Party positioned its poll campaign on women empowerment with ‘Ladki Hoon, Lad Sakti Hoon’ theme, besides promising 40% quota in government jobs, 25% in police through its special manifesto, exclusively meant for women voters in Uttar Pradesh. But BJP and CM Yogi Adityanath’s pitch of ‘ration and shashan’ managed to woo the voters, marking a re-election of an incumbent government, a first in 37 years.

In Punjab, to beat the AAP, the Congress picked a Dalit face Charanjit Singh Channi as its CM candidate over Navjot Singh Sidhu. The idea was to consolidate the 32% Dalit population in the state behind the Congress, as till then the Dalit vote was splintered between the Akali Dal, Congress and also the AAP. However, it clearly didn’t work as the AAP turned a giant-slayer, with its candidates defeating heavyweights like outgoing chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi in Chamkaur Sahib and Bhadaur, Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu in Amritsar East, former Punjab CM Amarinder Singh in Patiala and Shiromani Akali Dal patriarch Parkash Singh Badal in Lambi.

In Uttarakhand, the Congress managed to control its infighting and put up a fight, but the BJP’s rallies, star campaigners, support for religious tourism and pro-Army stance worked in their favour.

In Goa too, after the 2017 fiasco, the Congress sent off its troubleshooter D Shivakumar to ensure their Goa Congress flock stays together. However, the BJP managed to stay much ahead of the Congress, with the AAP, Goa Forward Party (GFP), Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) and the Revolutionary Goans (RG) damaging its chances.

In Manipur, regional outfits National People’s Party (NPP) and Naga People’s Front (NPF), which were seen as the “dark horses” in the run-up to the polls, performed better than the Congress. After the 2017 experience of winning the Manipur election but still losing out due to desertions, the Congress had sent in its central leaders such as Jairam Ramesh and Salman Khurshid to protect its candidates from poaching. The biggest shock for the Congress was the defeat of its state president N Loken Singh from Nambol to the BJP’s Thounaojam Basanta Kumar Singh.

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