Congress high command rejects Gogoi's resignation

The Congress has reportedly turned down the offer of Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi to resign following the party's poor performance in the Lok Sabha elections.

Taking moral responsibility for the loss, Gogoi had reportedly offered to resign after the party fared poorly in Assam.

Earlier today, Gogoi met Congress President Sonia Gandhi at 10 Janpath to submit his resignation. He had also met Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi earlier.

The BJP-led NDA secured an absolute majority in elections for the 16th Lok Sabha by claiming 337 seats. Of these, the BJP won in 283 seats. In contrast, the ruling UPA could manage to win only 58 seats. Of these, the Congress won 43, its worst electoral performance since 1977.

In Assam, the BJP bagged seven out of the 14 Lok Sabha seats, while the Congress could only manage three.

The Lok Sabha elections result was the largest anti-incumbency vote in India's history. It was driven by a desire for change and anger against corruption and the sluggish economy fanned directly or indirectly by the Congress-led UPA regime, which was in power for a decade.