Rahul Lauds State’s ‘Political Wisdom’ — WATCH

Lok Sabha Election Results: With the trends indicating the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) falling below the majority mark in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has praised the electorate of Uttar Pradesh for their “political wisdom” and their role in safeguarding the Constitution. At a press conference in Delhi, Gandhi expressed his gratitude towards the people of Uttar Pradesh for their support to the Congress and the I.N.D.I.A. alliance.

“I want to laud UP for their political wisdom. UP ki janta ne kamaal karke dikha diya…The people of UP understood the politics of the country and the danger to the Constitution, and they safeguarded the Constitution. I thank them for supporting Congress party and INDIA alliance,” said Rahul Gandhi.

#WATCH | Congress leader Rahul Gandhi says, “UP ki janta ne kamaal karke dikha diya…The people of UP understood the politics of the country and the danger to the Constitution, and they safeguarded the Constitution. I thank them for supporting Congress party and INDIA… pic.twitter.com/hNxvqRNjp2

— ANI (@ANI) June 4, 2024

He credited his sister and Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi for garnering support for I.N.D.I.A bloc. Speaking to news agency ANI, Priyanka remarked, “I am very happy… I want to tell the people of UP that they have shown a lot of discretion. I am most proud of my UP…”

#WATCH | Delhi: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra says, “I am very happy… I want to tell the people of UP that they have shown a lot of discretion. I am most proud of UP…” pic.twitter.com/nqiIwBESmB

— ANI (@ANI) June 4, 2024

Gandhi, who won from Rae Bareli and Wayanad, extended his thanks to the voters from these constituencies. “I have won from Rae Bareli and Wayanad and I thank the voters. I need to decide which seat I will retain. I haven’t decided yet.”

VIDEO | “I have won from both seats and I want to thank the voters of Raebareli and Wayanad. It is yet to be decided on which seat I’ll stay… I will discuss this,” says Congress leader Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) in response to a media query on which seat he will forgo.… pic.twitter.com/mBHOr1pZB3

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) June 4, 2024

Highlighting the significant message from the election results, Gandhi remarked, “The main thing that this election has said, the country has clearly and unanimously stated – we do not want Narendra Modi and Amit Shah to be involved in running of this country. We do not like the way they have run this country. We do not appreciate the way they have attacked the Constitution. That is a huge message to Narendra Modi.”

This comes as the political landscape of Uttar Pradesh saw a dramatic shift with Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party (SP) significantly reducing the BJP’s dominance. The SP was leading on 33 seats against the BJP’s 36 seats. This is a stark contrast to the 2019 elections when the BJP had won 62 seats on its own.

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Lok Sabha Election Results: BJP Falls Below Majority Mark, Congress Calls for Modi’s Resignation

The Congress on Tuesday declared that the BJP falling below the majority mark is a staggering political and decisive moral defeat for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to resign and “head to the Himalayas.”

The counting of votes is underway, with the BJP emerging as the single largest party but failing to secure a majority on its own. Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh, in a post on X (formerly Twitter) in Hindi, stated, “He used to pretend that he was extraordinary. Now it has been proved that the outgoing prime minister is going to become former. Take moral responsibility and resign. This is the message of this election.”

Ramesh reminded the public of Modi’s statement on December 3, 2016, in Moradabad, where he had said, “What at the most can they do to me? What can they do? I am a faqir (poor man), I will just pick up my bag and leave.” In a sharp swipe at Modi, Ramesh added, “Do you remember this statement of yours, outgoing prime minister? The time has come. Take your bag and head towards the Himalayas.”

This call for resignation comes in the wake of exit polls on Saturday predicting a third consecutive term for Modi, with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) expected to win a large majority in the Lok Sabha polls. However, as the counting progressed, trends revealed shocking results for the NDA, particularly in its strongholds of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Rajasthan.

“The exit polls have been completely exposed for what they were — a total sham,” Ramesh remarked in another post on X. He emphasised that the trends for all 543 seats indicated a clear political and moral defeat for Modi.

According to the latest trends, the BJP, despite significant gains in Odisha, Telangana, and Kerala, appeared to be falling below the majority mark of 271 seats.