Rahul Gandhi stresses the need for a united opposition for 2019 elections

Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said there were "valuable lessons" to be learnt from the results of the bypolls across the country, in a reference to the need for a united opposition for the 2019 general elections.

"Congratulations to all the winners in the by polls, across India. Valuable lessons to be learnt from the victories and defeats for all parties," tweeted Gandhi.

"I want to thank all the workers and leaders of the Congress party for their hard work and dedication in these elections. God bless you all," he added.

A united opposition got a major boost on Thursday when it delivered a huge blow to the BJP, defeating it in the Kairana Lok Sabha by-election in Uttar Pradesh and Bhandara-Gondiya in Maharashtra while the saffron party managed to retain the Palghar parliamentary seat and win only one out of the 10 Assembly bypolls in 10 states.