Congress President Sonia Gandhi while speaking at the Congress' chintan shivir at Jaipur said 'We must admit that there is increased competition and inroads have been made in our traditional strongholds. There are some states where we have been out of office for too long, and although I do believe that being in power is not the sole purpose of our party but being out of power can have a reverse impact on our morale. In the states where we are in alliance with other parties, there is a need to strike a balance of respect between allies and government policies'.
'From 2004, The UPA Government at the centre under the leadership of Dr. Manmohan Singh, has introduced truly revolutionary programmes and enacted historic legislations throwing out from our manifesto. But in some states the party has not yet been able to benefit from these electorally. I hope this will be discussed and concrete suggestions will emerge from discussions' said Sonia Gandhi..