Congress, AAP declare Modi wave to be over

The Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday declared the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led wave for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to be over, pointing to a disappointing display for the BJP in the bypoll results announced today.

Congress general secretary Shakeel Ahmad, speaking to ANI said, "The Congress has done really well in Gujarat and Rajasthan. In the Lok Sabha elections, we hadn't won a single seat in either state. It is significant that on the day that Prime Minister Modi is visiting Gujarat for the first time since taking office, we have wrested a few seats from the BJP. The other significant result is in UP, where the BJP has lost very badly. People have rejected the party that instigated riots."

AAP leader Prashant Bhushan blamed the BJP's "communal politics" in Uttar Pradesh for the party's poor showing in that state.

He said, "This result is a slap on the face for the BJP. It shows that communal politics is not going to work. With this result, the BJP has realized that the public has started disliking them."

Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit called the result in Uttar Pradesh "a verdict of the people".

He said, "Out of the 11 seats in the state, the BJP has lost nine. The voters have given them a straight answer, they have delivered their verdict."

Dikshit also said that the Congress lost the 2014 Lok Sabha elections due to an "anti-Congress atmosphere".

The counting for the by-poll results in 33 constituencies across 10 states took place today, with the BJP bagging only two out of 11 seats in UP; only one out of four seats in Rajasthan and winning seven out of nine seats in Gujarat.