Congratulating the party workers of Uttar Pradesh for their efforts in the Lok Sabha polls, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi on Thursday commended the UP Congress workers and the people of the state for sending a clear message that public issues are “paramount.”
The Congress, contesting the Lok Sabha polls in alliance with the Samajwadi Party on a 63:17 seat-sharing formula, secured victories in seven out of the 17 seats allotted to them.
In a post on X, the Congress General Secretary expressed her admiration, stating, “My salute to all my colleagues of UP Congress. I saw you working hard in the sun and dust, you did not bow down, you did not stop, you showed courage to fight in the toughest of times. You were tortured, false cases were filed against you, you were put in jail, and you were repeatedly put under house arrest but you did not get scared. Many leaders left in fear, but you remained firm.”
She added, “I am proud of you and the conscious people of UP. You gave a strong message to the whole of India to save our Constitution.”
Priyanka Gandhi emphasized that the old ideals of politics were re-established in these Lok Sabha polls, highlighting the importance of public issues. “You have re-established an old ideal in today’s politics – that public issues are paramount, and the price of ignoring them is heavy. Elections are of the public, it is the public who fights and it is the public who wins,” she said.
In the recent elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) saw a significant decline in Uttar Pradesh, slipping to 33 seats from 63 in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. This shift was noted by Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) Chief and state cabinet minister Om Prakash Rajbhar, who claimed that the Samajwadi Party and the Congress “confused” the public by suggesting that the constitution was in “danger.”
“The SP and the Congress confused the public by repeatedly saying that the constitution is in danger. By making this an issue, they ate up the vote share of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) too, due to which we had to suffer losses in the state,” Rajbhar stated.
The BJP’s tally of 33 seats marked a significant drop from its 2019 tally of 63 seats, with a vote share of 41.37 percent. Key losses for the BJP included high-profile seats such as Faizabad, Amethi, and Raebareli. In contrast, the Samajwadi Party secured 37 seats with a vote share of 33.59 percent, showing a substantial improvement.
Nationally, the BJP’s victory count was lower than its previous tallies, securing 243 seats compared to 303 in 2019 and 282 in 2014. The Congress, however, showed strong growth, winning 99 seats, up from 52 in 2019 and 44 in 2014.