Rahul concedes defeat; says Congress fought with dignity

Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Monday conceded defeat in the assembly elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh even as the party claimed a moral victory for an issue-based campaign in the two states.

"The Congress party accepts the verdict of the people and congratulates the new governments in both states," Rahul said on Twitter.

The newly appointed Congress president also thanked his party workers for fighting "anger with dignity" in the polls and expressed gratitude to the people of the two states for the love they showered on him.

"I thank the people of Gujarat and Himachal with all my heart for the love they showed me.

"My Congress brothers and sisters, you have made me very proud. You are different than those you fought because you fought anger with dignity. You have demonstrated to everyone that the Congress' greatest strength is its decency and courage," he added.

In a keenly fought election, the Congress restricted the BJP to 99 seats in Gujarat while it managed to win a respectable 21 seats in Himachal Pradesh.

"Initially, we had thought that we could win only seven or eight seats in Himachal but the way we contested, we have succeeded in conveying to the people that the Congress will always stand by them," AICC General Secretary Sushilkumar Shinde told reporters here.

Earlier, AICC General Secretary Ashok Gehlot, who was in-charge of Gujarat, said the election result was a moral victory for the Congress and the issue-based politics espoused by Rahul.