Congress draws a blank in 18 states and UTs

The Congress has drawn a blank in 18 States and Union Territories -- an indicator of its decimation in the Lok Sabha polls.

This is the Congress' second straight rout in Lok Sabha elections after it was decimated in the 2014 polls when the party ended up with a tally of 44 seats.

The Congress has been completely routed in Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Lakshadweep, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Delhi, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tripura and Uttarakhand.

Training his guns on the Congress, BJP Chief Amit Shah on Thursday said the Grand Old Party had drawn a "big zero" in 17 States and Union Territories, while the saffron party got more than 50 per cent votes in 17 States.

Murmurs have already started within the party over taking responsibility for its poor performance across the country, with some of its leaders already sending in their resignations.

Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Raj Babbar and Odisha Congress president Niranjan Patnaik announced their resignations in the wake of the party's electoral debacle in their respective States.

According to sources, the party has convened a meeting of the Congress Working Committee, its highest decision-making body, at 11 am on Saturday.

Rahul Gandhi is likely to offer his resignation at the meet, party sources said.

The top Congress leadership will deliberate on the reasons for the loss and assess them. It bagged only 52 seats in this election.