Congress concedes defeat in 5 election states; 'Hum chunaav haarenge, par himmat nahi'

Conceding defeat of the Indian National Congress, senior leader Randeep Surjewala on Thursday said that 'Hum chunaav haarenge, par himmat nahi harenge (We lost elections but not will)'. He said that Sonia Gandhi will soon call a meet for inspection.

"The results of 5 states have come against the expectations of the Congress party but we accept that we failed to get the blessings of the people. Sonia Gandhi has decided to convene Congress Working Committee meeting soon to introspect the results," Surjewala said.

He blamed former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh for the Punjab election defeat, claiming that the party "couldn't overcome 4.5 years anti-incumbency" and people voted for AAP for change.

"In Punjab, Congress presented a new leadership through Charanjit Singh Channi who is the son of the soil, but the entire anti-incumbency of 4.5 years under Captain Amarinder Singh could not be overcome and hence people voted for AAP for change," he said.

Channi & Sidhu lose from 3 seats combined; Cong fails in other states

Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi has lost the electoral battle from both the seats he contested to Aam Aadmi Party candidates. AAP's Labh Singh Ugoke defeated Channi from the Bhadaur seat in the Barnala district, while (AAP) Charanjit Singh emerged victorious in Chamkaur Sahib.

Amritsar East constituency also proved to be a surprise on Thursday, with AAP's Jeevan Jyot Kaur registering a win with a handsome margin. Fielded against Congress' Navjot Singh Sidhu who won 29128 votes and Shiromani Akali Dal's Bikram Sigh Majithia who won 22431 votes, Jeevan Jyot Kaur registered a victory with 34257 votes. Kaur has won with a margin of 8129 votes.

In Uttarakhand, BJP is ahead in 47 seats while Congress on 19 seats. Similarly, in the 60-member Manipur House Congress is leading in six seats.

In Goa too, BJP is likely to retain power as it is emerging as the single largest party in the 40-member Goa Assembly. The saffron party is leading on 20 seats, while Congress on 12 seats. In Uttar Pradesh, Congress is ahead on two seats.