Decimated by the ruling BJP in the Lok Sabha polls in Delhi, the Congress on Thursday took consolation in being runners-up in five of of the seven parliamentary constituencies in the national capital.
Delhi Congress president Sheila Dikshit expressed disappointment over the results but took solace in the fact that her party forced the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to the third spot in five of the seven Lok Sabha seats.
This is the first time since the 2014 Lok Sabha polls that the Congress managed to pip the AAP to the third spot in any election in the national capital in terms of vote share.
According to the Election Commission's (EC) data, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) bagged 56.5 per cent votes in Delhi, followed by the Congress (22.5 per cent) and the AAP (18.1 per cent).
In the 2014 Lok Sabha election, the BJP's vote share in Delhi was 33.07 per cent and it had won all the seven seats. The AAP had bagged 29.49 per cent votes, whereas the Congress was at the third spot with 24.55 per cent votes.
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In the 2015 Delhi Assembly polls, the AAP had stormed to power by garnering 54.34 per cent votes, trouncing the BJP and the Congress. The Congress's vote share was 9.56 per cent.
In the 2017 municipal polls, the Congress had managed to increase its vote share to 24.87 per cent.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the Congress and the AAP were unable to challenge the BJP's might as all the seven candidates of the saffron party either won or were leading by margins ranging from one lakh to over five lakh votes.
Though "shell-shocked" at the humiliating defeat, the grand old party hoped that its increased vote share would help it in the Delhi Assembly polls due in February next year.
A senior Delhi Congress leader said the vote share of the party showed that those of its voters, who had switched over to the AAP, were coming back.
"It is a good sign for us. This will help us challenge the BJP and the AAP in the Assembly polls next year," he said.
He added that a "large chunk" of votes of minorities and slum residents were cast in favour of the Congress.
Arvind Singh Lovely (East Delhi), Sheila Dikshit (North East Delhi), Ajay Maken (New Delhi), JP Agarwal (Chandni Chowk) and Mahabal Mishra (West Delhi) of the Congress bagged the second spot in the poll race.
AAP's Raghav Chadha (South Delhi) and Gugan Singh (North West Delhi) managed to push the Congress candidates in their respective constituencies -- boxer-turned-politician Vijender Singh and Rajesh Lilothia -- to the third place.
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