Morale booster for Congress

Victory in just 27 Assembly seats in Bihar proved to be a morale booster for the Congress workers who were a demoralised lot after the disastrous performance in the Lok Sabha elections last year.

Celebrations broke out at 24, Akbar Road, Congress headquarters here, as party candidates surged ahead after having some anxious moments when early trends – mostly comprising postal ballots – had showed the BJP taking a massive lead.The Congress leaders recalled that the last time the AICC headquarters had witnessed such celebratory mood was in 2013 when the party defeated the BJP in the Karnataka Assembly elections.

As it became clear that the Congress was set to improve its tally way beyond it had anticipated, Youth Congress activists trooped at the gates waving party flags and beating drums.

A young activist soon arranged some crackers to add to the celebratory mood. The bursting of crackers reached its crescendo as party vice-president Rahul Gandhi walked in to the office to interact with the media.

Youth Congress President Amarinder Singh Raja Brar had to urge his followers to stop the celebrations for a while so that Rahul’s remarks could be heard by the media.On the other hand, a pall of gloom descended on 11, Ashoka Road, the BJP headquarters. Spooked by the early trends, celebrations had begun at the party’s Patna office with workers setting off crackers and distributing sweets only to realise that they had begun way too early.

In Delhi, senior leaders, union ministers and a battery of spokespersons were interacting with the media since morning.