The only bright spot for Congress in a saffron sweep was Kerala. Gandhi’s decision to contest from Wayanad evidently helped the party reap rich rewards in the state where the CPM had been hopeful of winning 14 seats before his candidature was announced.
Gandhi himself had a lead of over 2.8 lakh votes, the highest margin in the state, small comfort for his performance in his traditional bastion of Amethi in Uttar Pradesh, where BJP’s Smriti Irani has won.