Rahul Gandhi finally breaks silence after Meghalaya, Tripura, Nagaland poll losses; here is what he said

Rahul Gandhi finally breaks silence after Meghalaya,Tripura, Nagaland poll losses; here is what he said

After an improved performance in Gujarat Assembly elections, the Congress party, now officially led by Rahul Gandhi, achieved a disappointing mandate in the North East Assembly elections.

After an improved performance in Gujarat Assembly elections, the Congress party, now officially led by Rahul Gandhi, achieved a disappointing mandate in the North East Assembly elections. Now, after two days and amid criticism for not being with the Congress when it suffered losses in North East, Gandhi has broken his silence over the Congress' performance in the just-concluded Assembly elections of Nagaland, Meghalaya, and Tripura.

In a tweet on Monday, Gandhi said the Congress "respects" the mandate of the people of the three states, adding the party is committed to winning back the trust of the people in the North East. He also thanked all Congress workers for the hard work they put into the elections.

On Saturday, the Congress lost polls in Tripura, where the BJP surged ahead of state CM Manik Sarkar's CPI-M, putting an end to Left’s 25 years of rule. The BJP won four seats more than the magic number of 31 in the 60-member House. The party along with its alliance partner Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT) secured 43 seats in the polls. While, the Congress which had been at the second spot in the state so far failed to even open its account.

The Left has been reduced to just 16 seats in the state. In Nagaland too, the BJP went ahead of the Congress with the BJP-NDPP alliance winning 29 seats. The ruling Naga People’s Front (NPF) party trails behind with 27 seats. Reportedly, the BJP-NDPP with the backing of JD(U) and an independent candidate will form a government in the state.

Coming to Meghalaya, the ruling Congress party, fell short of the majority in the elections. The grand old party emerged as the single largest party in the state securing 21 seats. However, the opposition of regional parties like National People’s Party (19 seats) and other parties agreeing to join hands with BJP, Congress has lost this state as well.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his delight over the mandate and hailed the results as historic. In a tweet, he claimed that people of India are reposing their faith in the development-oriented agenda of NDA. He added that in last four years, the Central government has made an effort to remove the feeling of alienation amongst the people of North East.

Meghalaya election: Rahul Gandhi slams BJP for government formation, says party ‘usurped power using proxy’

Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Monday said that Bharatiya Janata Party has 'usurped' power in Meghalaya through a proxy political party.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Monday said that Bharatiya Janata Party has 'usurped' power in Meghalaya through a proxy political party. Gandhi added that BJP's gesture showed party's disregard for people's mandate. "With just 2 seats, the BJP has usurped power in Meghalaya, through a proxy. Like in Manipur & Goa, showing utter disregard for the mandate of the people,(sic)" Gandhi said. "Obsessed instead with grabbing power, using big money to create an opportunistic alliance," he added.

Earlier, making first comments on the election results, Gandhi had said that Congress party respects the mandate of people of Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya. "We are committed to strengthening our party across the North East and to winning back the trust of the people. My sincere thanks to each and every Congress worker who toiled for the party," he said on Twitter.

The Congress President's reaction came two days after results for assembly elections in three states were declared on Saturday. While the Congress lost Meghalaya despite emerging as the largest party, it failed to score a single seat in Tripura and Nagaland. In Meghalaya, the Congress won 21 seats, where it was in power for the past 10 years.  However, the party could not garner the support of regional outfits to form a coalition government. The party had sent top leaders like Ahmed Patel, Kamal Nath, Mukul Vasnik to Shillong to talk to regional parties but to no avail.

On the other hand, Conrad Sangma-led National People's Party was able to garner support of United Democratic Front (UDF) and BJP to form the government. BJP was touted to be as the instrumental flock in getting a non-Congress government installed in the state. Senior BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is the convenor of North-East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), announced that Sangma will be the next chief minister of the state. The newly elected MLAs are scheduled take oath during a special one-day Assembly session on Wednesday. Sangma will recommend the name of the Protem Speaker after assuming the charge of chief minister. Also, the BJP was able to form government in Tripura and Nagaland, this way bagging three out of the three states.