On Tuesday, as the Congress galloped in three big states ahead of the 2019 general election — Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan — its leadership cheered but kept fingers firmly crossed.
While accepting congratulatory messages, both Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi said: “Let’s wait for the final results.”
When NDTV asked whether these state election results could be called a referendum on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. To this Rahul Gandhi said, “We will wait for the final results,” and refused to comment further.
Sonia Gandhi also pointed towards at her son and said he had worked hard and led the party.
Both Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi exchanged pleasantries with party MPs. Also present at the occasion Upendra Kushwaha, a Bihar BJP ally who quit the ruling National Democratic Alliance yesterday.
According to the ongoing counting trends, the Congress is set to lose Mizoram while in Telangana, the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) is expected to win by a landslide.
Congress party workers burnt firecrackers outside the state headquarters though its leaders remained cautious — rare celebrations for the party on a counting day, as a leader admitted.
Also read: Chhattisgarh assembly elections: Congress races ahead; BJP trails