CWC meet to discuss election loss, says Janardan Dwivedi

Congress leader, Janardan Dwivedi, on Saturday stated that the Congress accepted its defeat in these elections and that the election defeat will be discussed in the Congress Working Committee today.

"There is no doubt that the Congress has been defeated and we accept it with humility. This has been said by our party president," Dwivedi said.

When asked about the dismal election performance, he said, "There is a Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting. There will be discussions on this agenda in the meeting."

"We wish Modi and the BJP all the luck to do good work for the nation. The Congress party will always give their positive support," Dwivedi added.

The BJP-led NDA secured an absolute majority in elections for the 16th Lok Sabha by claiming 337 seats. Of these, the BJP won in 283 seats. Among the other 15 parties in the coalition, only the SHS (19 seats) and the TDP (16) managed to achieve double digit figures.

In contrast, the ruling UPA could manage to win only 58 seats. Of these, the Congress won 43, its worst electoral performance since 1977. The remaining nine members of the ruling coalition could manage only single digit results, with the NCP coming second with five seats, and the RJD with four.

Friday's result was the largest anti-incumbency vote in India's history. It was driven by a desire for change and anger against corruption and the sluggish economy fanned directly or indirectly by the Congress-led UPA regime, which was in power for a decade.