NEW DELHI :  Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday hailed the people of Uttar Pradesh, saying they gave a solid message to the whole country of saving the Constitution and re-established the old ideal that public issues are paramount.

The BJP-led NDA suffered a jolt in Uttar Pradesh, where it won just 36 seats as against the INDIA bloc which bagged 43 — a significant contribution to the overall tally of the opposition alliance.

In a post in Hindi on X, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said, “My salute to all my colleagues of UP Congress. I saw you working hard in the sun and dust, you did not bow down, you did not stop, you showed courage to fight in the toughest of times.

Atrocities were committed against you, fake cases were filed against you, you were put in jail, you were repeatedly put under house arrest but you did not get scared. Many leaders left in fear, you stood firm,” she said.

Gandhi further said she was proud of the vigilant people of Uttar Pradesh, who understood the depth and truth of this country and gave a solid message to the whole of India of saving the Constitution.

“You have re-established an old ideal in today’s politics – that the issues of the people are paramount, the price of ignoring them is heavy,” she said.  The election is of the people, the people fight it and the people win, Gandhi said.

The Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party, which leads the INDIA bloc in Uttar Pradesh, alone got 37 seats this time, becoming the single largest party in the politically crucial state.  The BJP managed to win just 33 seats. SP ally Congress won six seats, including Amethi and Rae Bareli, in the elections.  In the NDA, Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) won two seats while Anupriya Patel-led Apna Dal (S) got one.