23 May,2019 11:46 PM IST | | mid-day online desk
Rahul Gandhi. Pic/Twitter Rahul Gandhi
After losing the Amethi seat to Union Minister Smriti Irani by nearly 50 thousand votes, the end of the vote counting day brought some good news for the Congress President to cherish with.
Congress President Rahul Gandhi won Kerala's Wayanad seat - the second seat he contested in the 2019 polls after Amethi - with a record margin of 431,770 votes.
ALSO READ
India lodges strong protest over Canada's allegations against Amit Shah
Anees Ahmed back to Congress after failing to register his candidacy for polls
Four shops destroyed in Thane fire; none hurt
Elderly man beaten to death for objecting to firecrackers being burst in Haryana
West Bengal: Three children killed after fire breaks out in house in Howrah
Gandhi defeated his nearest rival P.P. Suneer of the Communist Party of India who secured 274,597 votes, while Gandhi got 706,367 votes. This margin of victory is the highest in the state for any Lok Sabha constituency.
Former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, who was the first person to announce the candidature of Gandhi expressed happiness at the huge victory.
"This result was a foregone conclusion, as of right from the day his name was announced, we could sense that the people in Wayanad had accepted him. His visits to the constituency... first when he came to file his nomination and then for a day's campaign, really made every Congress worker excited," said Chandy.
"His presence as a candidate boosted the confidence of all the candidates and that's one reason, why we could register such a huge victory in Kerala," added Chandy.
In the 2014 polls, Congress candidate M.I. Shanawas won the seat with a margin of 20,970 votes. He passed away last year and since then the seat was lying vacant. Gandhi, however, lost his traditional Amethi seat in Uttar Pradesh, to Union Minister Smriti Irani, by over 50,000 votes.
Rahul Gandhi to resign as Congress president? Watch the below video:
After losing the Amethi seat, Congress president Rahul Gandhi offered to resign as Congress chief after a humiliating Lok Sabha loss in the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections. According to sources, Gandhi told a group of senior Congress leaders including his mother Sonia that he takes full responsibility for the election defeat and that he is willing to resign as the party's president. However, Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala denied the reports of Rahul Gandhi offering to resign.
While addressing the press conference, the Congress president wished Prime Minister "all the best" and hoped that he looks after the interest of the people. When reporters asked what went wrong according to him, Gandhi said it did not matter today what he thinks but told Congress party workers to not feel dejected and have faith.
Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates