'We lost because of the Congress': Who said what after Assembly election results

As votes were being counted on Thursday and results started trickling in, scores of congratulatory messages started trickling in from political parties and leaders.Prime Minister Narendra Modi got the ball rolling with a series of tweets.Jayalalitha, storming to power for a second five-year term, responded.CPI-M victory in Kerala continued the anti-incumbency trend followed by the southern state.It was a dismal day for the Congress party, losing Kerala and Assam and not faring much better in West Bengal either. Rahul Gandhi accepted defeat.The BJP couldn't make any headway in three out of four states, but it did register an impressive performance in Assam. The party's chief ministerial candidate in Assam Sarbananda Sonowal said, "People have accepted our winning combination. This is a great victory. People of Assam have been looking for such a combination. Our main target is to protect the interests of bonafide Indian citizens, whether they are Hindu or Muslims it doesn't matter. The big issue is infiltration, that is a national issue; the sealing of the Indo-Bangladesh border...many more issues like employment are there."The AIUDF and Congress both lost big in Assam, and AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal blamed Congress leadership for the defeat.BJP leader Ram Madhav also praised the saffron party for winning the key northeast state. "Want to thank people of Assam for giving us 48-49% vote,Govt is committed for development of the state," he said.BJP leader and spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain also blasted the Congress following the defeat.Mamata Banerjee, who will be sworn in as West Bengal chief minister for a second five-year term, lamented "politics of slander". "We were victorious with two-thirds majority. Despite the Congress and Left alliance, we won. Families have come together and helped us win. Everything went peacefully. People stood in the queue for hours and in the heat to vote. Didn't expect politics of slander and low lies. We fought alone this time. Last elections, Trinamool had won 184 seats in alliance. This time, the Opposition was united against us," she said, referring to the Congress and CPM joining hands in West Bengal.Home Minister Rajnath Singh also has words of praise for Sarvananda Sonowal, for leading the BJP to victory in Assam:M Venkaiah Naidu also poured scorn on the Congress.It was left to Congress MP from Kerala Shashi Tharoor to find the silver lining.