New Delhi: With poll trends showing a rout for Congress in party-ruled Assam and Kerala and no major gains in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, Rahul Gandhi today said the party will work harder till it wins the confidence and trust of people.
"We accept the verdict of people with humility. My best wishes to the parties that have won the elections.
"I take this opportunity to thank every Congress worker and leader and our allies for their effort during these elections. We will work harder till we win the confidence & trust of people," Gandhi said on Twitter.
The reaction came soon after election trends in five states suggested that Congress has lost in Kerala and Assam ruled by it and failed to make a dent in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu despite alliances.
Party spokesperson Manish Tewari voiced disappointment at the results but at the same time said that the outcome was "not unexpected" and cited yearning for a "change" as the reason for the party's debacle in Assam, where three-term Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi was leading Congress.
"The results are disappointing but not unexpected. After 15 years, Assam was perhaps looking for a change, Kerala is cyclic," he said.
With the Congress-CPI(M) alliance failing to pose a threat to ruling Trinamool Congress, he said that despite the outcome, the alliance between Congress and the Left is "most natural".