Need to take note of Congress’ poll debacle, identify setbacks: Sonia

Alluding to the Congress’ poor show in the recently-held Assembly elections, its president Sonia Gandhi on Monday said it is time to take note of serious setbacks in the elections and face the reality to draw the right lessons.

Addressing a crucial meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), Gandhi said she plans to set up a small group which would look into the loopholes. The meeting of the top Congress body has been convened to deliberate and introspect on the party’s poor performance in the just-concluded assembly elections.

The Congress not only lost Puducherry, but drew a blank in West Bengal while failing to come to power in Kerala or Assam even though it formed government with the DMK in Tamil Nadu.

“We have to take note of our serious setbacks. To say that we are deeply disappointed is to make an understatement. I intend to set up a small group to look at every aspect that caused such reverses and report back very quickly,” Gandhi told fellow party members.

She said the party needs to candidly understand “why in Kerala and Assam we failed to dislodge the incumbent governments, and why in West Bengal we drew a complete blank”. “These will yield uncomfortable lessons, but if we do not face up to the reality, if we do not look the facts in the face, we will not draw the right lessons,” she said.

(With inputs from agencies)