By IANS,
New Delhi: Most of the Indian Youth Congress (IYC) candidates, whose names were picked by Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi, won in the assembly elections, except in Tamil Nadu, IYC chief Rajiv Satav said Saturday.
“It was the first time we got so many seats. Performance of our candidates has been good,” Satav told IANS.
Rahul Gandhi is general secretary incharge of Youth Congress and had cleared the names of IYC candidates who finally got the party ticket.
Satav said candidates belonging to IYC won five of six seats in Assam, four of seven seats in West Bengal and five out of 10 in Kerala.
He said IYC candidates could not do well in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry due to “a wave in favour of AIADMK”.
He said the Youth Congress candidates contested tough seats in most of the states.
“We fought difficult seats in Bengal including those against sitting Left Front ministers,” he said.
Satav rejected media reports that IYC candidates had not done well and Rahul Gandhi’s campaign for them had not been effective.
Citing instances, he said Rahul Gandhi campaigned in Mananthavady, Palakkad, Ernakulam, Chengannur in Kerala and the party won all the seats.
Satav said IYC got 34 seats across the five assemblies.
He denied reports that the Youth Congress fielded 17 candidates in Kerala of whom only five won.
“Ten elected office bearers were given the ticket. The performance has been very good,” he said.
The IYC chief said the results were also good in Assam and West Bengal where Gandhi campaigned for IYC candidates.
Asked about the severe drubbing in Tamil Nadu where none of the IYC candidates won despite its membership swelling to 14 lakh, Satav said the Youth Congress could not get the seats it wanted in the state. The lone candidate belonging to IYC in Puducherry also lost.
Satav also said that youth should be given more opportunity in view of the “good performance” of candidates from the IYC.
While the Congress performed well in Assam winning 78 of 126 seats, it managed to form its government in Kerala by winning 72 of 140 seats along with its allies. The party in alliance with Trinamool Congress won in West Bengal, but fared poorly in Tamil Nadu where its tally plunged from 34 to five.
The party also lost power in Puducherry.