Shubhadeep Choudhary
New Delhi, December 8
A Gandhi took the centre stage as the Congress celebrated its victory in Himachal Pradesh, the first since 2018 when it won the Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh Assembly elections.
A small crowd of supporters at the AICC headquarters burst crackers, distributed laddoos and raised slogans hailing Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi even though it was the Congress president who campaigned in Himachal. Kharge was not present at the AICC headquarter during the celebrations. Later, talking to mediapersons, he praised the Gandhis for the victory.
“All those who have worked in the election – be it the PCC president or general secretaries ndash; it is because of their efforts alone that we got a favourable verdict in Himachal Pradesh. I also want to thank Priyanka Gandhi (who extensively campaigned in Himachal). The Bharat Jodo Yatra led by Rahul Gandhi also played a role in the victory. The blessings of our leader Sonia Gandhi also helped,” Kharge said.
“It is two months since Kharge became president. It is too early to comment on his performance in the light of the election results”, Pawan Khera, chairman, media and publicity, AICC, told The Tribune.
In a tweet, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra thanked the people of Himachal. “This is a victory of issues and the determination for development. My best wishes to Congress leaders and workers. Your hard work paid off”, she wrote. Rahul too tweeted thanking the people of Himachal for their support.
In another tweet, he said he humbly accepted the verdict of the people of Gujarat where the Congress tally has dropped to a dismal 17. “We will re-organise and work hard and continue to fight for the rights of the people of Gujarat,” he said. While Rahul campaigned in Gujarat for one day, Kharge addressed a string of workers’ meetings before the elections.
