We accept defeat with all humbleness, says Tarun Gogoi

Guwahati, May 19: Outgoing Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Thursday said he accepts the defeat in the Assembly polls with "all humbleness" and congratulated BJP leader Sarbananda Sonowal and his party for the victory.

"We accept the peoples' verdict with all humbleness. We will play the role of an effective and constructive opposition by serving the people of Assam," Gogoi said at a press conference here.

The veteran Congress leader congratulated BJP's chief ministerial candidate Sarbananda Sonowal and termed his party's victory as "grand success".

"People are now expecting a change for development and achche din (good days). They have high hopes from the new government. I wish BJP and Sonowal fulfil those," Gogoi said.

On Congress' performance in the election, the three-time chief minister said it was not easy to win for the fourth consecutive term. "I am not disheartened but of course I am sad and it is natural. Ups and downs are part of life and I have seen many ups and downs in my political life. People have not left us. We had faced worse defeat than this in the hands of AGP after the Assam agitation," Gogoi said.

"There must have been some deficiencies and mistakes. We will analyse those," he said. When asked whether he will continue to be in active politics, Gogoi said, "I will continue to be 100 per cent in active politics." To another query, he declined the possibility of forming an alliance with AIUDF.

PTI