As the Lok Sabha election results unfolded with the BJP falling short of a majority on its own though the NDA comfortably crossed the halfway mark, top Congress leaders came out asserting it was a "moral defeat" for Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Addressing the media after the trends became clear, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the people's mandate was against PM Modi given the BJP's failure to get a full majority.

"This is a moral defeat of Narendra Modi. The mandate of the people is against PM Modi. The BJP has not got a full majority," Kharge stated.

Rahul Gandhi echoed similar sentiments, claiming the opposition fought not just against the BJP but also "captured" institutions like the judiciary, ED, CBI and intelligence agencies during these elections.

"We fought this election not just against BJP but also the institutions, the governance structure of the country, the intelligence agencies CBI & ED, judiciary because all these institutions were captured by Amit Shah & Narendra Modi ji," the former Congress chief said.

Gandhi asserted the Opposition's struggle was to "save the Constitution" and thanked alliance partners for taking the first step in that direction.

On being asked if the INDIA alliance will stake claim to form the government, Gandhi said a meeting of the opposition parties was planned to decide the future course of action.

The Congress MP, who won from both Rae Bareli and Wayanad, sidestepped queries on which seat he would retain, stating he would discuss the matter with people before taking a call.

Gandhi, however, lauded the Uttar Pradesh voters for the mandate against the ruling BJP in the state. "Uttar Pradesh ki janata ne kamaal kar ke dikha diya (people of UP have done wonders)," he said, referring to the BJP's underwhelming performance of under 40 seats against the INDIA bloc's tally of over 40.