Lucknow: A week after the Lok Sabha results pinned the Congress down to its worst performance in Uttar Pradesh, the party will take stock of the situation and discuss reasons for its poor show.
The Congress which had contested 67 out of 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh managed to win only the Rae Bareli seat from where UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi was re-elected. The party rank second only in three seats — Rahul Gandhi in Amethi, Raj Babbar in Fatehpur Sikri and Shri Prakash Jaiswal in Kanpur. While in the remaining seats, the Congress candidates went to the third position or below.
A meeting of party office bearers will be held later in the evening in which Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) President Raj Babbar will be present.
This is Babbar’s first visit to Lucknow after he sent his resignation to Congress President Rahul Gandhi last week, owning moral responsibility for the drubbing.
Rahul Gandhi had lost his Amethi seat to BJP’s Smriti Irani while Raj Babbar lost to BJP’s Rajkumar Chahar from Fatehpur Sikri.
According to Congress spokesman Mukesh Chauhan, the reasons for the party’s defeat would be discussed at the meeting. A second meeting will also be convened later with the defeated candidates.
The UPCC president will also take feedback from party leaders about the Congress’ role in bye-elections to the 11 Assembly segments that will be held in the coming months.
[source_without_link]IANS[/source_without_link]