Conceding defeat in the Haryana Assembly polls, Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Sunday congratulated the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for its splendid performance and urged the new government to continue the 'good work' done by the Congress.
Hooda, who won from the Garhi Sampla-Kiloi assembly seat, expressed his gratitude to Congress president Sonia Gandhi and the people of Haryana for giving him an opportunity to serve the state for ten years.
"I welcome and respect the mandate given by the people of Haryana and I accept it," Hooda told the media here.
"I extend my wishes to the new government that will be formed. I hope they will work for the people at the same pace and take the state to new heights," he added.
The verdict of the assembly polls came as a major to blow to Hooda-led Congress, which was eyeing a third term in Haryana.
As per latest trends, the BJP is leading in 48 seats followed by Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) in 20 seats.
The Congress has won in nine seats while it is leading in eight others. The Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC) is leading in just two seats.