'Every election is a lesson for us', says Sonia

New Delhi, Mar 7 (ANI): Asserting that party's organisational structure in Uttar Pradesh was weak, Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday said that every election result is a lesson, whether the party wins or loses.

Addressing media here, Gandhi said: "I humbly accept the results of the assembly elections. There are number of reasons. The wrong choice of candidates had also contributed to the party's performance in the state assembly elections."

"In Uttar Pradesh, people were unhappy with the BSP and the alternative for them was Samajwadi Party (SP). We will sit with party leaders and state leaders and assess what went wrong for the Congress," she added.

On Punjab results, Gandhi said: "The newly formed Punjab People's Party (PPP) damaged us in 23 seats rather than the Akalis."

She further said in Goa many voters were unhappy with the Congress government.

She also said that the Congress Party was the only political party in the country that works towards removing corruption.

She said that in Uttarakhand, the Congress had more numbers and therefore, had the right to stake claim to form the government there first.

" We have election coming up. We have to pull up one socks and get going. We seem to have too many leaders. Maybe, that's the problem," Gandhi said.

She also felt that if the Congress continuous by kept in touch with its coalition partners and the opposition, they would come around to understanding and supporting it.

Gandhi further rejected the suggestion that the election results in Uttar Pradesh had damaged the UPA II regime at the Centre.

"Let us remember, we have made it on in one state (Manipur). A win is a win," said Gandhi.

Earlier in the day, Gandhi met party general secretaries and office-bearers at the All Indian Congress Committee headquarters here to take stock of the party's dismal performance in the assembly elections in five states.

Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh, in-charge of UP; Chaudhary Birendra Singh, incharge of Uttarakhand; Gulchain Singh Charak, in-charge of Punjab; Jagmeet Singh Brar, in-charge of Goa; and Luizinho Faleiro, in-charge of Manipur, were present in the meeting.

The elections in Uttar Pradesh turned out to be a big disappointment for the party, where it finished fourth despite Rahul Gandhi himself leading the Congress from the front. he Congress failed to win power in Punjab, lost power in Goa and was running for a photo finish with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Uttarakhand. A win in Manipur was the only silver lining in an otherwise gloomy result for it.

The Congress party's drubbing is also a blow to the government of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, reducing his scope to re-launch reforms and reverse a slowdown in economic growth. (ANI)