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Elections results reactions: Congress, opposition parties hail anti-BJP wave, eye Delhi in 2019 polls
Congress and opposition parties hailed the assembly election results on Tuesday, saying people wanted BJP out and are moving towards an alternative, as they hoped to repeat the performance in the 2019 general elections.
Congress and opposition parties hailed the assembly election results on Tuesday, saying people wanted BJP out and are moving towards an alternative, as they hoped to repeat the performance in the 2019 general elections.
Early vote counts showed BJP losing in Chhattisgarh, trailing in Madhya Pradesh and in a neck and neck battle in Rajasthan with Congress while the grand old party lost to MNF in Mizoram, its last northeast bastion, and TRS reclaimed power in Telangana.
Former Rajasthan chief minister and Congress leader Ashok Gehlot said “numbers can go up and down but public’s mandate is in the favour of Congress. We will get clear majority.”
“We’re forming government in three states what can be better than that. The way Rahul Gandhiji tackled Modiji and Amit Shahji in Gujarat, after that, the graph of Congress is going up and the graph of Modiji is constantly going down. It’s a sign,” Gehlot said.
Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee said the this is “the semi-final of the final match as 2019 elections will be held in next 2-3 months. For 2019 final match game is clear, now we are just waiting for the elections.The countdown for 2019 has begun.This is the beginning of the end.”
She took to Twitter to say that the results were a victory of the people of this country.
“Victory of democracy and victory against injustice, atrocities, destruction of institutions, misuse of agencies, no work for poor people , farmers, youth, Dalits, SC, ST, OBC, minorities and general caste,” she said on Twitter. “Semifinal proves that BJP is nowhere in all the states. This is a real democratic indication of 2019 final match”. Ultimately, people are always the ‘man of the match’ of democracy. My congrats to the winners.”
Congress unit president in Rajasthan, Sachin Pilot exuded confidence of achieving a full majority.
“We are moving towards a full majority and I am sure it will be clear once final numbers are in, but still we welcome all like-minded and anti-BJP parties to support us and we are in touch,” he said.
Pilot also highlighted that Rahul Gandhi had become Congress president exactly a year ago this day. “So this result is a gift for him.”
Telangana’s victorious TRS’s president K Chandrashekhar Rao (KCR) said he will focus on national politics which will be free of BJP and Congress. “Very soon a new national party may come with a consortium of regional parties. Those who wish to join may do so. It will have people not mere leaders.”
He also praised AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi, who also returned the favour, saying KCR has the “capabilities and capacities to ensure that a non-Congress government comes into existence when the next parliament election takes place”. “This country requires a non-Congress and a non-BJP government.”
Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal said this is a victory of democracy. “This is the victory of Rahul Gandhi, our party, workers, people, and the fight against scams. This is the victory of humanity.”
National vice president of the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) Jayant Chaudhary said he has asked the winning party MLAs to support Congress in forming a stable government in the state.
Chhattisgarh Congress president Bhupesh Baghel said the Congress high command would decide the chief minister in the state after the party achieved a two-thirds majority in the state.
“People of Chhattisgarh took the fight in their own hands. We are grateful to (Congress president) Rahul Gandhi. We fought for the people. We got more seats than expected. The high command will decide who will be CM,” he said.
“This is a victory of democracy. BJP had a lot of money and a team of corrupt officers. They also had conspirators in their pocket. Despite all of this, the mandate given by the people in Chhattisgarh is historic,” Baghel said.
Taking responsibility for the defeat, Chhattisgarh chief minister Raman Singh, who tendered his resignation, said, “We will act as a strong Opposition and work for the development of the state.”
Union home minister and BJP leader Rajnath Singh tried to downplay BJP’s losing trends, saying nothing is yet clear from the trends.
Congratulating the winning MLA candidates and political parties, he said Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) has failed terribly in Telangana.
Accepting defeat in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, whose TDP was part of the losing alliance led by Congress, congratulated TRS and its president K Chandrashekar Rao.
“TDP respects the mandate of people of Telangana. Congratulations to Shri K Chandrasekhar Rao. Also, best wishes to all the newly elected public representatives of 5 states,” he said.
“People recognise that BJP has done nothing in last 5 years and are moving towards an alternative. People are with us in our fight against the BJP. These five states results will help form a strong alternative to the BJP,” he said.
Attacking Congress for filing a complaint against TRS over alleged EVM tampering, TRS MP K Kavitha said the losing party always says the EVMs have been tampered with. “This is absolutely false. Even the CEC in a press meeting yesterday said that it is not possible to tamper EVMs. People have given victory to TRS, what Congress is claiming is false.”
Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said he would declared it a victory of Congress “but this is an anger of the people. Self-reflection is needed”.
SP leader Ramgopal Yadav said “BJP’s wrong policies have destroyed the country and this is a result of that. Any talk of an alliance will be done once the whole picture is clear.”
