Ahmedabad, Jan 17 (PTI) A three-member panel of the Congress on Tuesday met party candidates who contested the recent Gujarat Assembly election from the Saurashtra region on the second day of the meet to discuss the party's dismal performance.

Also Read | COVID-19 Infection During Pregnancy Increases Fatality Rate and Serious Health Risks Significantly: Study.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won a record 156 seats in the 182-member Gujarat Assembly in the elections held in December, while the Congress bagged just 17 seats with a vote share of 27.28 per cent, its worst performance since the state was formed in 1960.

Also Read | Bengaluru: Elderly Man Dragged by Two-Wheeler for One Kilometer on Magadi Road, Arrested After Video Goes Viral.

In 2017, the Congress had won 77 seats, with Saurashtra alone accounting for 28 seats.

Talking to reporters, Maharashtra Congress leader Nitin Raut said the fact-finding committee has been asked to prepare a report on the reasons for the party's dismal performance and how to strengthen the organisation in coming days, as it emerges from the defeat.

The fact-finding committee, comprising former Maharashtra leader Nitin Raut and leaders Shakeel Ahmed Khan and Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka, was formed on January 4 and has been asked to submit its report to the party within two weeks.

"We started the first round of our meeting from Monday, and today is the last day of the first round. We are meeting the candidates and have received a lot of information," Raut said.

On day two of the meeting, around 30 candidates from Saurashtra met the panel at the party's state headquarters 'Rajiv Bhavan' here, party's chief spokesperson Manish Doshi said.

"In two days, they have met more than 70 candidates, including 30 from Saurashtra. They will meet the remaining candidates after three days, and will interact with organisational leaders later," Doshi said.

Former legislator from Lathi seat Virji Thummar said that the party had failed to create an environment required to highlight the BJP's failures of the last 27 years and take them before the public.

"EVM remains a factor, and whether it can be tampered with is a different thing. However, people have realised that votes are transferred to the BJP even when they vote for the Congress," Thummar claimed.

"Crores of party workers from villages to cities worked hard for five years and listened to people's grievances and tolerated police atrocities. But we must ponder as to where we are failing in our strategies. Our strategy has not been successful in the last 27 years, and this is something we need to accept," former MLA from Dasada seat Naushad Solanki said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)