Election results 2019: Rahul Gandhi addresses a press conference on the party's loss in national election

Congress president Rahul Gandhi today said he accepted the people's decision and congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP on their terrific win, commenting "janata malik hai (the people have decided)". He also conceded defeat to the BJP's Smriti Irani for her win in Amethi, the constituency he held since 2004.

"Frankly, today is the not the day to discuss what I think went wrong because people of India have clearly decided that Narendra Modi is going to be their Prime Minister and as an Indian I respect that," Rahul Gandhi said.

To a question on whether he would resign, he said: "I don't need to comment on that. That I will take up with the Congress working committee when we meet next. Let that be between me and the working committee."

PM Modi's BJP is headed for a victory bigger than in 2014; it will cross the 300 mark on its own. The Congress, however, looked unlikely to get to three digits.

"I would like to thank all Congress workers for their hard work and effort... I want to tell them and all those people in India who believe in the Congress ideology that don't be scared, have faith and we will work and sought this out in the time to come. Love never loses, and I am certain that we will emerge stronger and work better... love will guide us," said Mr Gandhi, 48.

"I will not get into the details of the mandate... today is not the day to do that... today the country has chosen their prime minister and it is a time to congratulate him and wish him well for his next term as PM."