I thank the people of Gujara and Himachal with all my heart for the love they showed me, Rahul Gandhi said.New Delhi: In his first reaction to the election results in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh on Monday, Congress president Rahul Gandhi thanked his party workers for making him proud.
Accepting the defeat in both the states by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Gandhi said his party workers fought anger with dignity.
“My Congress brothers and sisters, you have made me very proud. You are different than those you fought because you fought anger with dignity. You have demonstrated to everyone that the Congress’s greatest strength is its decency and courage,” he tweeted.
“The Congress party accepts the verdict of the people and congratulates the new governments in both states. I thank the people of Gujarat and Himachal with all my heart for the love they showed me,” he said in another tweet.
The ruling BJP was set to retain power in Gujarat, with its candidates on the victory lap in 104 of the 182 seats as the Congress again settled for the second place but with an improved showing.
After surprisingly leading over the BJP at one point and sending the stock market crashing, the Congress began to trail to the BJP again. Election commission officials said the Congress was expected to grab 75 seats.
The BJP won 115 seats and the Congress 61 in 2012.
The BJP was set to wrest power in Himachal Pradesh, winning 21 seats and leading in more than 15 as counting progressed in the state Assembly elections. However, the state party chief faced a humiliating defeat in his constituency, while BJP Chief Ministerial candidate Prem Kumar Dhumal is trailing with a huge margin.
The ruling Congress has managed to win 10 seats so far, with its chief ministerial candidate and sitting incumbent Virbhadra Singh winning with a handsome margin from Arki.
The BJP needs 35 seats to control the Himachal Assembly.
Read more: Assembly polls in-depth | Himachal throws a 'red' surprise as CPM wins Theog constituency
