New Delhi, March 7 (IANS) A day after its poor showing in the assembly polls, the Congress got a piece of advice from its ally Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) which asked it to revive leadership at the regional level.

"The Congress will have to work hard. It should revive regional leadership," NCP leader Tariq Anwar told IANS.

He said the results were less than the expectations for Congress, but the party had the capacity to bounce back as it has done on several ocassions in the past.

Anwar disagreed with views that failure of Congress in Uttar Pradesh had cast a doubt on Rahul Gandhi's abilities as a star campaigner.

"He (Rahul Gandhi) worked hard despite the party being weak in the state. This should be appreciated," Anwar said.

He said the Congress was weak at the grassroots in Uttar Pradesh.

He said defeat in Punjab was a setback for the Congress but the defeat in Goa "will be balanced" by the possible formation of Congress-led government in Uttarakhand.

Anwar said the assembly results will not impact ties of the Congress with UPA allies.

The Congress scored an emphatic win only in Manipur in the results to five states declared Tuesday.