N-E poll results will not impact Karnataka: Cong

The Congress’s euphoria over recent by-poll victories may have been punctured after the party’s dismal performance in the Northeast, but its leaders believe the results will have no bearing on Karnataka, which they are confident of holding on to.

A party leader claimed the BJP’s victory in the Northeast was an “aberration” that did not reflect the country-wide “resurgence of the Congress”.

Though the Congress failed to get a majority in Meghalaya and did not win a single seat in either Tripura or Nagaland, the leaders insisted they were not troubled by the results and were confident of emerging victorious in Karnataka, where elections are to be held shortly, reports PTI.

Sources in the Congress stressed the Northeast had its own compulsions and was “no real lesson for South India”.

After the poor Congress performance in elections in the northeastern states, the results of which were declared yesterday, the party’s morale was at a low, with few leaders willing to speak out about the loss.

With Congress president Rahul Gandhi out of country, the leaders preferred not to analyse or talk about the defeat.

Some party insiders admitted that the morale of the party, boosted after the recent victories in bye-elections in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh and its performance in Gujarat Assembly elections, had been badly dented after the Northeast results.

Party spokesperson and research cell in-charge Rajeev Gowda, however, said the Northeast results were an “aberration” and the national trend was against the BJP.