India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

Congress president Sonia Gandhi is optimistic ahead of fresh round of Assembly elections, said Law Minister Salman Khurshid here on Wednesday. Assembly polls are due in Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) ruled states of Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh later this year while Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan ,Madhya Pradesh Karnataka will go to polls in the first half of next year, ahead of Lok Sabha polls. Gandhi chaired the Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) meeting in the capital and expressed “disappointment” over the losses and “satisfaction” over the electoral gains. "Congress president spoke of our disappointment of not winning in some states but also of the satisfaction that we won for the third time in Manipur and we formed the government in Uttarakhand. She also underscored the increase in our vote percentage in UP despite the disappointment of not getting more seats. So I think it was on a positive note, she flagged the coming elections," said Khurshid. The CPP meeting has come after a high-power committee of the party, led by Defence Minister A. K. Antony that reviewed the party's show in assembly elections held in five states, submitted its report to Gandhi, and assumes significance in the backdrop of a standoff over the formation of National Counter Terrorism Center (NCTC). Meanwhile Congressman Satyavrat Chaturvedi told reporters that Gandhi also urged party workers to be “disciplined” ahead of next round of Assembly elections. "Sonia Gandhi has advised that we learn from the mistakes committed during the last round of Assembly elections. She said that the party has to work in unison and in a disciplined manner and also strike a chord with the common people before the next elections," said Chaturvedi. Congress managed just 28 of 403 seats in Uttar Pradesh assembly polls in March this year.

Sonia optimistic ahead of Assembly polls in BJP-ruled states