Kharge holds meeting to review Cong's defeat in MP & Chhattisgarh

New Delhi: Days after facing defeats in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday held a review meeting to discuss the reasons behind the party's loss in the two states.

The meeting was chaired by Kharge at the party headquarters.

In the review meeting for Madhya Pradesh, besides Kharge, party leader Rahul Gandhi, party general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal, Madhya Pradesh unit Congress chief and former chief minister Kamal Nath, state in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala, screening committee chairman Jitendra Singh, former chief minister and senior party leader Digvijaya Singh and several other senior leaders are also present.

The Congress president discussed in details seat-wise the crucial factors behind the party's disappointing show in Madhya Pradesh where it managed to win only 66 of total 230 seats.

The Chhattisgarh review meeting was attended by Rahul Gandhi, Venugopal, Ajay Maken, state in-charge Kumari Selja, former Chief minister Bhupesh Baghel, former deputy chief minister TS Singh Deo and many others.

During the meeting, Kharge and Rahul Gandhi discussed the reasons for the party's loss in the mineral rich state with the state leaders. The meeting lasted over an hour

After the meeting, Kumari Selja, while briefing the media, said: "We are sad but not demotivated. There are many reasons and we are reviewing them and everyone of us have told the top leadership that even as we were not able to form the government, we have not lost the trust of the people.

"Lok Sabha elections are coming and everyone of us have apprised the leadership that we will contest unitedly," Selja said.

She further said: "A detailed analysis will be done of every reason. We were weak in some areas... we will work on that. Our leaders and workers will go everywhere to win people's trust and win more seats for the party in Lok Sabha elections."

The Congress won only 35 of 90 seats in the state while the BJP stormed back to power by winning 54 seats.

During the recently concluded assembly elections, the Congress was decimated in the three Hindi heartland states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh.

The only consolation for Congress was in Telangana, where it formed its government for the first time after the inception of the state in 2014.