Congress leaders were jubilant Saturday after making a comeback in the politically significant state of Uttar Pradesh, where it was leading in 22 of 80 seats, with many giving credit to their general secretary Rahul Gandhi. “Uttar Pradesh is a political force,” Rahul Gandhi, who represents Amethi in the state, said at a press conference here as it became evident that the Congress was going to confound predictions and improve substantially on its nine Lok Sabha seats in 2004. Several leaders credited him with the party's showing in the elections. Communications and IT Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said, “All credit goes to Rahul Gandhi for single handedly reviving the Congress in Uttar Pradesh. What worked was the combination of Manmohan Singh's policies and Rahul Gandhi's thrust on party cadres and youth.” “It's the victory of the Congress policies implemented under the leadership of the party president Sonia Gandhi and general secretary Rahul Gandhi,” said the president of the state's party unit, Rita Bahuguna Joshi.
