JAIPUR: Congress general secretary Ashok Gehlot today hailed the party's massive victory in Gurdaspur Lok Sabha bypoll in Punjab, saying the mandate was against the "anti-people" policies of the BJP-led central government.
The Gujarat unit in-charge of the Congress party also praised ally Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) for retaining the Vengara assembly seat in Kerala in a byelection.
He termed the victory in Gurdaspur a mandate against the "anti-people" policies of the BJP government at the Centre, and a victory of Congress' policies under Rahul Gandhi's leadership.
Gehlot said the BJP should take lessons from its defeat.
"It is clear that people have understood that promises made by the government were all lies," he said in a statement, adding that the "countdown" for the BJP has begun.
The Congress party wrested the Gurdaspur seat from the BJP today. Its candidate Sunil Jakhar trounced BJP's Swaran Salaria by a huge margin of 1,93,219 votes in the bypoll.
Rajasthan Congress chief Sachin Pilot said support for the BJP was on a decline and people were now seeing "hope" in his party.
He said in a statement that the party would soon announce its candidates for by-polls on Ajmer and Alwar parliamentary constituencies in Rajasthan.