New Delhi: He lost his bastion Amethi, failed as party president, handing the BJP an unprecedented victory, and left many with this question — is it time to write Rahul Gandhi's political epitaph? In a classic case of win some and lose plenty, Rahul entered the Lok Sabha from Wayanad in Kerala and defeated his nearest CPI candidate P P Suneer by a margin of over 4.31 lakh votes.

Dismissed as Pappu by some and crown prince by others, Rahul appeared to take the poll debacle on the chin, congratulating Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP for their win and also expressing the hope that the BJP's Smriti Irani takes care of Amethi "with love".