Cong accepts defeat in Delhi, MP, Rajasthan

Congress today accepted defeat in Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, saying it was disappointed with the poll outcome.

"The results in Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan are disappointing.... We concede that we have lost there," party spokesman Randeep Singh Surjewala said when asked about the trends.

He, however, dismissed suggestions that the performance of BJP in the Assembly polls was an indication that the party could sweep the Lok Sabha elections next year.

He recalled that BJP had won 2003 Assembly polls but lost badly in the Lok Sabha elections.

"Any celebration ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha polls will be premature. BJP refuses to learn from history.... There was similar sort of upbeat mood in the BJP in 2004, when the NDA had lost," he said.

Surjewala also said that Chhattisgarh "is a ray of hope" and Mizoram "will also bring some heer".

Expressing suprise over the results in Delhi, where the debutant Aam Aadmi Party is competing with BJP for the first place, AICC general secretary in-charge for the state Shakeel Ahmed said, "We were not expecting these results. The reasons for this will be analysed".

Congress has been in power in Delhi for 15 years with Shiela Dikshit having the distinction of the longest-serving woman Chief Minister in independent India.

In the last Assembly polls, the Congress had won as many as 43 seats in the 70-member legislative Assembly and its fortunes have dwindled sharply this time with the party likely to get less than 10 seats.

Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi dismissed suggestions that the trends showed that there was a wave in favour of BJP Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi in the country.

Congress leader and Union Minister Shashi Tharoor said his party has very capable, experienced political leaders who are surely going to analyse in detail and find what corrective measures are needed.

He said across the the country there were regional parties and areas where the BJP has no presence.

"So we should not be too hasty in suddenly seeing a sort of tsunami in favour of party that has done well today," Tharoor said.