Congress improves tally marginally in Gujarat polls

{image-modi+sonia_23122007.jpg news.oneindia.in}New Delhi, Dec 23: The Congress party managed to improves its strength in the 182-member Gujarat Assembly by registering victory in 59 seats. The party had won 51 seats in the 2002 Assembly polls.

In south Gujarat the party managed to win nine seats, in Saurashtra it won 15 seats, in central Gujarat the party registered its victory in 24 Assembly Constituencies and in north Gujarat the Congress emerged victorious in 13 Assembly seats. Commenting on the party"s performance, senior Congress leader M Veerappa Moily said that the defeat of his party in the elections would help in uniting the secular forces in the country.

"All the secular forces in the country, including the so called Third Front, should unite with the Congress, if they are committed to the secular ideology of the country," Moily told ANI as the BJP marched ahead to absolute majority in the State.

Moily said that the victory of Narendra Modi is "not in the interest of the nation," since "he (Modi) believes in divisive politics," and added that the Gujarat Chief Minister never campaigned on a developmental plank.

Stating that the Congress' plan to depend on the BJP rebels in Gujarat's Saurashtra region proved out to be counter-productive for the party, Moily admitted that it was a mistake.

ANI>