Assembly results not a referendum against Rahul: Digvijay

Assembly election results are "not a referendum" against Rahul Gandhi, says Congress leader Digvijay Singh as he exudes hope that declaration of party's Prime Ministerial candidate before Lok Sabha polls would be an advantage to Congress which got a massive drubbing this time.

The Congress General Secretary, who had been a known detractor of Arvind Kerjrial, also said that the Aam Aadmi Party's victory in Delhi polls is good for electoral politics of democratic India.

"It strengthens the people's belief in democracy, which they were fast losing," he acknowledges.

In an interview to PTI, Singh strongly dismissed suggestions that the drubbing of Congress in Delhi, Rajashtan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh was some sort of a referendum against the leadership of Rahul Gandhi.

"No, there is no referendum because Rahul Gandhi was neither leading the elections nor fighting the elections. Rahul Gandhi's canvas is not Delhi state, his canvas is pan India. The point you raised is quite unrelated.

"These elections were fought on state issues not on national issues. It would be reading too much in these results," the AICC general secretary said.

Singh, who served as Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister for two consecutive terms before BJP came to power in 2003, feels early projection of a chief ministerial candidate could have made the results different for his party this time in "simplifying a very complex subject".

However, he agreed with Jyotiraditya Scindia that there is a need for "major reconstruction" in the party.

Singh, who along with many other party leaders, have been maintaining in the past that it is not in the tradition of the Congress party to declare its Prime Ministerial and Chief Ministerial candidate, now says such a move will benefit Congress.

The trigger is obviously party President Sonia Gandhi's statement on the day of the results that Congress will declare its PM candidate at an opportune time, which was interpreted as the party is all set to name Rahul Gandhi as its PM candidate.

BJP has handed a severe 4-0 drubbing to Congress in Assembly polls, snatching Rajasthan and retaining Madhya Pradesh with landslide wins. It also held on to power in Chhattisgarh and is the single largest party in Delhi where AAP has made a dream debut.