Assembly election 2017 results: Congress concedes defeat, vows to ‘restore politics of dignity & development’

The Congress on Monday conceded defeat in the Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections as it thanked the people of the states for their verdict.

Referring to the loss in the Gujarat Assembly elections, Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said that though the party did not emerge victorious, it had done “exceedingly well, but needs to do far better”.

CLICK HERE FOR RESULTS: Gujarat | Himachal Pradesh

He further said, “We will reach out to those we could not convince. And from here, Congress will only do better.”

The Congress party asserted that it will restore the “politics of dignity and development” in the country. Hitting out at the BJP, the Congress spokesperson said, “The loss in Gujarat is a lesson for us, but a bigger lesson for the BJP.”

When asked about the loss of prominent Congress leaders like Arjun Modhwadia in Gujarat, Surjewala said, “We are sad that three to five big names from Congress did not win, but we are satisfied as well. We became a force in Gujarat today because of these leaders, and our struggle won’t stop.”

Referring to BJP president Amit Shah’s allegations of the Congress stooping to the lowest level of politics, the Congress said that the ruling party would get a reply to their “arrogance” in the next election.

On the issue of temple visits of Congress president Rahul Gandhi, Surjewala reiterated, “For Rahul Gandhi, religion is a matter of his self belief, it is not there for political purposes.”

Meanwhile, Congress president Rahul Gandhi also took to Twitter to thank people of Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh for the love he received during the election campaign.

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”.

Rahul also lauded the contributions of Congress workers, saying, “You are different than those you fought because you 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 said.