Day of disappointment for Congress in Kerala: Tharoor

NEW DELHI: The Congress put up a dismal show in all the states/UT where Assembly elections were held barring in Tamil Nadu, where the DMK-Congress alliance is poised to return to power after a gap of 10 years.

After the announcement of results on Sunday, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said that it's a disappointment for the party, but it gave tough fight to the LDF in Kerala.

"It's a day of disappointment for many of my friends and colleagues in @INCKerala. You fought a good fight. The energy & commitment I've seen from you is the party's greatest strength. We must not be disheartened. There is work ahead to renew & revive our party, & to serve the people,"T haroor tweeted.

Top Congress leaders in Kerala on Sunday gracefully accepted the party's defeat after trends showed that the Congress-led United Democratic Front will, in all likelihood, end up with less seats than 2016.

According to the figures presently available for the 140-member Kerala Aassembly, the Pinarayi Vijayan-led Left Democratic Front is set to cruise to victory for a second consecutive term after leading in 100 seats while the Congress-led UDF is leading in 40 seats, against 47 seats it had won in 2016.

Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala, who has won from Haripad in Alappuzha district, said that the party gracefully accepts the verdict, but will pursue the allegations against the Vijayan government.

"We did not expect this sort of result... We will sit down now and do an introspection of what happened. We raised a lot of issues against the Vijayan government. Just because they have won the polls does not mean all such issues will be washed away. All the issues will be discussed when our leaders meet," he said.