Rahul, Priyanka in Amethi, discuss poll debacle

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, who just managed to scrape out a victory in Amethi Lok Sabha constituency, Wednesday discussed the poll debacle with party leaders here.

Gandhi's visit was the first after the polls in which the Congress was routed in Uttar Pradesh.

Accompanied by his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Rahul Gandhi visited a village where 67 huts were gutted in a massive fire and distributed relief material.

Gandhi assured the victims all possible help and told them that he would push for getting them new houses under the Indira Awaas Yojana.

Later, he met party workers at the district Congress office in Gauriganj where he discussed in detail the reasons for the Bharatiya Janata Party's surge in the state.

Gandhi is learnt to have told his crestfallen supporters that all was not lost and they would have to now lift their spirits and fight for the rights of the people.

The Congress leader had some anxious moments on the day the election results were announced May 16, when at many polling centres he trailed behind BJP's Smriti Irani.

Taking note of the victory margin being reduced to just one lakh votes over his 2009 victory margin of three-lakh-plus votes, Gandhi is said to be contemplating an overhaul of the district and state unit of the party.