It is with hope, firm resolve that we prepare for Lok Sabha polls: Congress

Suffering defeats in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, the Congress on Sunday recalled that 20 years ago it had lost the three states while winning only Delhi but bounced back in the 2004 Lok Sabha polls, and said it prepares for the forthcoming general election with hope and a firm sense of resolve.

The BJP tightened its stranglehold in the Hindi heartland with assembly victories in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh while the Congress was set to oust the BRS from Telangana on Sunday, the three-one poll score setting the stage - and the mood -- for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

In a post on X, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, "Exactly 20 years ago, the Indian National Congress had lost the state elections in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, while winning only Delhi. But within a few months, the party bounced back and went on to emerge as the single largest party in the Lok Sabha polls and formed the government at the Centre."

"It is with hope, confidence and a firm sense of resolve and resilience that the Indian National Congress prepares for the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls. Judega Bharat, Jeetega INDIA!" Ramesh said.

As votes were counted for elections to the four assemblies, the leads and wins threw up a BJP-dominated electoral picture. While the saffron party retained Madhya Pradesh with a projected decisive win, it wrested Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh from the Congress.

The Congress lost those two states but won Telangana from the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), the upset in the southern state giving the grand old party at least something to celebrate.