By IANS,
New Delhi : As the election results poured in, bringing cheers to some and disappointment to others, here are some key quotes from political leaders:
Rahul Gandhi: I fought, so it is my responsibility (for what happened). Organisationally we are not where we should be. And the general mood was for the Samajwadi Party… The Congress fundamentals were weak. Until we set that right, that weakness will not go away. Overall our position has improved but it has to be taken forward.
Mulayam Singh Yadav: We will decide in the parliamentary board what will be the strategy of the party ahead. I think we have almost got the mandate, there’s hardly anything left. I would like to congratulate the people of Uttar Pradesh who have brought Samajwadi Party back. The hope with which they have supported us, we will meet their expectations.
Akhilesh Yadav: I am not in the race for chief minister’s post. The party feels that the responsibility should go to Netaji (Mulayam). I thank people of UP for they voted in favour of SP and trusted us. People voted for us rising above religion and politics.
Nitin Gadkari: Majority of people have voted against Congress and UPA, on issues like corruption and price rise. The Congress has gone back from its performance in the Lok Sabha elections. The Congress pinned high hopes on Rahul Gandhi and made it an issue of prestige.
Sushma Swaraj: Congress and the media created a big hype about Rahul Gandhi. The Congress had made it a prestige issue. These results show that this is the second consecutive defeat for Rahul.
Digvijay Singh: He (Rahul Gandhi) was not the face of the chief minister. He was not fighting for himself. He campaigned in Uttar Pradesh as leader of the party. We are extremely grateful to him for giving so much of time and campaign for the party.
Uma Bharti: It is a cause of worry (Samajwadi Party win) as crime will increase in (Uttar Pradesh) and I am worried about the safety of people.