Rahul Gandhi congratulates Narendra Modi, Smriti Irani for Lok Sabha election win; says he will reply with love

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the landslide win registered by the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Party in Lok Sabha election 2019 but added that winners and loser of the electoral battle have two different ideologies and his fight will continue. He also conceded defeat to BJP’s Smriti Irani in his family bastion of Amethi Lok Sabha seat of Uttar Pradesh, and quickly commented that he will continue to respond to attacks on him with love.

"The voter is the master and today they have given their verdict. I congratulate Modiji and BJP. I thanks Congress workers for putting up a good fight. Our fight is about ideologies but today Modiji has won and I congratulate him. Today is the day of mandate and it does not matter what I think, what matters is India has decided that they want Modiji as their PM and I respect that decision," he said at the Congress headquarters in New Delhi.

"Smriti Irani deserves credit and I congratulate her for winning from Amethi. I want to tell her to take care of Amethi with love. I respect the verdict of Amethi voters. Even if I am abused, I will continue to reply with love. Love can never lose," he added.

Congress failed to open its account in several states including Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Uttarakhand, Odisha, Jammu and Kashmir and Andhra Pradesh.

The BJP alone is ahead in 304 Lok Sabha seats and along with its allies in leading in over 345 constituencies.