Congress General Secretary In-Charge of Gujarat Raghu Sharma resigned on Thursday after Gujarat election results showed a drubbing of the party.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is set to score an unprecedented victory in Gujarat whereas the Congress has been driven to the margins.
As of 3:30 pm, the BJP had won or was leading on 158 of the total 182 Gujarat assembly seats. The Congress has been reduced from 77 seats it won in 2017 Gujarat elections to just 16 in 2022.
Sharma's resignation letter shared by media showed him as telling Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge that he takes full moral responsibility of the Congress party's defeat.
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"I take complete moral responsibility of the Congress party's unexpected defeat in the Gujarat assembly elections. I also resign from the post of Gujarat in-charge," said Sharma in the letter, urging Kharge to accept his letter.
The Congress party's Gujarat campaign was riddled with defections and lack of preparations. Not only just Congress scion Rahul Gandhy stayed away from the Gujarat elections to focus on Bharat Jodo Yatra, senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor was also excluded from the party's list of star campaigners in Gujarat.
"Shashi Tharoor was invited by the Congress' student body to campaign in Gujarat, but he opted out since he was not on the list, sources said. The Congress has denied "sidelining" Mr Tharoor, who ran for party president last month but predictably lost to Gandhis-backed Mallikarjun Kharge," reported NDTV.
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The Congress party also suffered with several defections, with leaders such as Hardik Patel and 10-time MLA Mohansinh Rathwa joining the BJP.
(With PTI inputs)
