Sonia Gandhi pays gratification visit to her Rae Bareli LS constituency

Congress Party president Sonia Gandhi, visited her Rae Bareli Lok Sabha constituency in Uttar Pradesh on Friday for the first time after her party's electoral debacle, and said the party would remain indomitable in its spirit to keep up the confidence of the voters who had voted for the Congress and its allies.

Addressing a public rally, Gandhi said: "Around 10 lakh 75 thousand (107500 billion) voters have showed their confidence in the Congress Party. I thank each and every voter who voted for the Congress. And, I want to tell them that, we would continue to work on our ideologies and principles, and would do everything to keep up their faith in us."

Expressing her gratification towards the voters, she also dwelled on the reasons for the party's worst ever poll rout and interacted with party supporters as well.

She said party's voice against national issues like inflation, corruption and unemployment remained unheard among the tall claims made by the rival Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

"We condemned the issues of inflation, corruption and unemployment in all its forms. But our stand failed to reach the public in proper form and on time. Few such flaws were blown out of proportion by our rivals and our voice was unheard among their exaggerated claims. Hence, we suffered the defeat," said Gandhi.

The Congress Party, which has ruled India for most of its 67 years of independence including the last decade, is reeling from a humiliating electoral reverse to bitter rival Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, had owned up responsibility for the debacle before the media but Sonia Gandhi immediately took the blame for the defeat as questions were being raised about Rahul's leadership capability.

The scale of defeat was devastating. Congress won 44 seats in the 543-member lower house of parliament - less than the one-tenth required to be recognised as the main opposition group. BJP won a tally of 282 to form the ruling government.