'Haryana Defence': Rahul Gandhi terms Maha defeat 'unexpected' too

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday described the MVA’s drubbing in Maharashtra as “unexpected” and assured supporters that the party would undertake a serious analysis of the adverse outcome.

Taking to social media platform X, Gandhi wrote in Hindi, “Maharashtra results are unexpected and we would conduct a detailed analysis.”

Interestingly, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha had expressed similar surprise over the party’s loss in Haryana last month and used the word “unexpected” for the result in the agrarian state as well.

Looking to lift the morale of party workers, Gandhi highlighted the INDIA Bloc’s victory in Jharkhand and thanked the voters for their whole-hearted support.

“Congratulations to Chief Minister Hemant Soren, Congress and JMM workers for this victory,” wrote Gandhi in Hindi.

He went on to claim that the INDIA Bloc’s victory in Jharkhand reflected the triumph of efforts to protect the Constitution and water, forest and land.

He also thanked party workers in Maharashtra for their efforts.

The Congress could manage just about 15 seats in Maharashtra while the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) secured about 48 seats in the 288-member Assembly.

On voting day on November 20, Gandhi appealed to voters of Maharashtra by posting on X: “Brothers and sisters of Maharashtra, I appeal to all of you to vote today for the protection of the state's dignity and the Constitution. Every vote you cast for the Maha Vikas Aghadi will prevent the theft of your jobs and projects, ensure fair prices for farmers' crops, and bring prosperity to your lives through the 5 guarantees.”

The results on Saturday came as a blow for both the Congress and Gandhi. There is no denying that Gandhi’s campaign which focused heavily on caste-based rhetoric and Constitutional assurances also came a cropper.

One of the key takeaways from this defeat is, many argue, an abject failure of Rahul Gandhi's agenda of the caste census. His promise of breaching the 50 per cent reservation cap has also not worked.

The caste calculus that he pushed during the campaign did not win voters’ approval in Maharashtra, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s emphasis on caste unity, encapsulated in the slogan "Ek hain to safe hain," proved more effective.

Gandhi’s freebies offer also did not elicit any positive response from the public.