Rahul Gandhi returns to India from Italy, tweets on Northeast drubbing

In Meghalaya, the NPP-led coalition comprising of the BJP, UDP and HSPDP met Governor Ganga Prasad on Sunday and staked the claim to form a government in the northeastern state

Congress President Rahul Gandhi returned to India from Italy on Monday. On his arrival, in a short message, Rahul Gandhi thanked Congress workers who toiled for the party in Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya elections. This is the first reaction of Rahul Gandhi after drubbing in Tripura and Nagaland. In the 60-member Meghalaya assembly, though Congress has 21 seats, non-Congress parties ensured the incumbent party out of power.

Rahul Gandhi, tweeted, "The Congress party respects the mandate of the 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."

During northeastern states elections results, Rahul Gandhi was in Italy to meet his 93-year-old grandmother.

BJP president Amit Shah while celebrating party's victory in the northeast, took a swipe at Rahul Gandhi. Shah quipped at a press conference, "Italy mein chunao bhi toh hai (Italy is holding elections too)."

In Meghalaya, the NPP-led coalition comprising of the BJP, UDP and HSPDP met Governor Ganga Prasad on Sunday and staked the claim to form a government in the northeastern state. NPP, UDP, BJP and HSPDP together have 29 MLAs, but the majority mark to form a government in Meghalaya Assembly is 31. Reports suggest that People's Democratic Front may also join them which means that the alliance would cross the majority mark of 30 needed for government formation.

In Tripura, Congress drew a blank. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) made a history in the state after the CPM suffered a humiliating defeat in its citadel of 25 years. The BJP won 34 seats on its own, while its ally, the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT), was victorious in 8 constituencies. In 2013, the Congress had won 10 seats with a vote share of 36.53 per cent.

In Nagaland, the Congress failed to win a single seat and its vote share fell from around 15 per cent in 2013 to just above 2 per cent in 2018.

OneIndia News