Congress Sec-Gen Rahul Gandhi Takes Responsibility of Defeat in UP
New Delhi, Chandigarh and Imphal, India (NNN-ANI & IANS) -- Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday accepted responsibility for the party's poor performance in the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls.
Addressing media outside the 10, Janpath residence of Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi said that the results of the seven-phased polls in Uttar Pradesh, was a clear indication that the Congress organizationally still had a long way to go to win the confidence of the public in the state.
He expressed confidence that overtime; the Congress Party would surely win in Uttar Pradesh one day.
Congratulating Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and his son Akhilesh Yadav for their superb performance in the Uttar Pradesh polls, Gandhi candidly admitted that the public had given it's verdict in favour of the Samajwadi Party.
Gandhi, who was the most influential face of his party during the campaign in Uttar Pradesh, said the result was a good lesson for him.
"I have worked very hard. One day we will surely win in UP. I view my work as trying to improve the political situation. I think its very good lesson for me," said Gandhi.
"The fundamentals of the Congress Party in UP was weak. It is too early for us to comment," he added, when asked to comment about the party's disappointing performance in Uttar Pradesh.
The Samajwadi Party (SP) is moving towards a majority in Uttar Pradesh and is likely to form the next government in the state.
As per the latest trends, SP is leading in close to 200 seats. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) will remain second despite a loss of over 100 seats in comparison to the 206 it got in 2007.
The Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party are fighting for third and fourth place.
Punjab's ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alliance created history in the state's politics as it stunned the Congress Tuesday to retain power for a second consecutive term - the first such instance in the state.
Beating the traditional anti-incumbency factor, the combine bagged a comfortable majority with 68 seats in the 117-member Punjab assembly as results were declared. It is for the first time in over four decades that a government has been able to come back to power for a consecutive term in Punjab.
Surprisingly, the combine managed to bag the same number of seats it had got in the 2007 assembly polls - 68.
The Akali Dal increased its score from 49 seats in 2007 to 56 this time. However, alliance partner BJP's tally came down - from 19 seats to just 12 this time.
The Congress, which was very hopeful of coming back to power this time, was "surprised" by the results and ended with 46 seats. In 2007, the party had bagged 44 seats.
"I want to thank the people of Punjab for the faith reposed in us again. I don't have the words to express my gratitude to them. They have given us such a big victory," a visibly happy Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, 84, told the media at his palatial residence in Badal village, 270 km from here.
With his son, Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal - who is also the deputy chief minister - by his side, Badal senior said: "There are two reasons for our victory. We went to the people with the agenda of peace and development in the state. I am happy that we have been able to live up to their expectations."
Badal senior also announced that he and his entire family will pay obeisance at the holiest of Sikh shrines, Harmandar Sahib, (popularly called Golden Temple) in Amritsar Wednesday.
"We will work harder (in the new government," Badal announced.
The Akali Dal and BJP are likely to hold a meeting here Thursday before the next government is sworn-in.
The Congress, which was very hopeful of returning to power this time, accepted defeat in the election.
"We accept our defeat. We will analyze where things went wrong. We could not win, we will do introspection for our defeat," Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh told the media at his residence in Chandigarh.
"I take full responsibility for the defeat. This result is very surprising," Amarinder Singh, a former chief minister, said.
"I wish the government well. I hope they will perform well for Punjab. It needs good governance," he added.
Former finance minister and People's Party of Punjab (PPP) president Manpreet Badal lost from two seats, Maur and Gidderbaha, while his party failed to open its account. Manpreet remained inaccessible to the media till Tuesday evening.
Manpreet's father, Gurdas Badal, who contested against his elder brother Parkash Singh Badal from the Lambi assembly seat, lost his security deposit in the election.
The Congress on Tuesday stormed back to power in Manipur by winning 34 of the 50 seats for which results were declared till 4 p.m. on Tuesday. The state assembly has 60 seats.
Sources in the state election office said that of the others, the Trinamool Congress won seven seats followed by the Manipur State Congress Party (MSCP) with four seats. The Naga Peoples' Front (NPF) has won three seats so far. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Lok Janashakti Party (LJP) have secured one seat each.
There was jubilation in the Congress camp after Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh retained his Thoubal seat, defeating his rival from the BJP Indira Oinam by a huge margin of over 15,000 votes.
Ibobi Singh's wife Landhoni Devi won the Khangabok seat defeating her rival Jatra Singh of Manipur People's Party (MPP) by a huge margin of over 9,000 votes. Khangabok was the chief minister's constituency earlier.
Opposition parties received a severe jolt after three leaders, Radhabinod Koijam of the NCP, O. Joy Singh and Th Chaoba Singh of MPP, lost to their rivals.
Koijam, who was leader of opposition in the outgoing Manipur assembly, is a former chief minister and was instrumental in bringing the 11 non-Congress parties under one anti-Congress alliance -- Peoples' Democratic Alliance (PDA).
Okram Ibobi Singh will be the second chief minister in the northeast to make it to the top seat for the third consecutive time in recent times after Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi.
While Gogoi brought the party to power in Assam in 2001, 2006 and 2011, Ibobi Singh had single-handedly brought the Congress to power in Manipur in 2002 and in 2007.
Congress spokesman in Manipur N. Biren Singh, who has won from the Heingang constituency, said the Congress party is going to form the next government in the state. "We are going to win not less than 35 seats this time," he said.
In Manipur, the Congress had a tough battle this time facing the PDA. The non-Congress alliance comprised the NCP, Manipur People's Party (MPP), the Communist Party of India (CPI), the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), the Janata Dal-United (JD-U), National People's Party (NPP), Manipur State Congress Party (MSCP), Trinamool Congress, LJP, the Bharatiya Janata Party and the NPF.
What made it worse for the Congress was the fact that at least seven militant outfits had imposed a ban on the party. The militants also attacked several Congress candidates and supporters ahead of the Jan 28 vote. -- NNN-ANI and IANS
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