New Delhi, Apr 6 (IANS): Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi Thursday exhorted the party's candidates who contested the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls to unitedly start working for the 2014 Lok Sabha polls and hinted at changes in the state organisational structure to revitalise it.

Gandhi met over 150 candidates and took feedback from them on the party's dismal performance in the assembly polls. All the candidates lost the battle but secured over 20,000 votes.

The party general secratary told them to take up peoples' issues at the grassroots level to prepare the party for future challenges, including civic elections.

Gandhi will continue to analyse poll results Friday by meeting party MPs and legislators and also candidates of the 2009 Lok Sabha polls who had polled over one lakh votes.

The two-day interaction is the first formal stocktaking of the poll outcome by Gandhi, who had spearheaded the party's campaign in the state. Congress won 28 of 403 assembly seats.

The assembly poll candidates were divided into three groups of about 50 each for Thursday's meeting and had frank interaction with Gandhi.

They filled up a form which asked them reasons for the party's loss, suggestions for future political strategy and whether they got support from the party organisation, including frontal organisations such as the Mahila Congress. The form also asked them to name the best party worker.

The candidates told Gandhi that the party's organisational structure was weak and booth and block committees were virtually non-existent at many places.

While individual leaders including Salman Khurshid, Beni Prasad Verma and Sri Prakash Jaiswal were not named, some of the defeated candidates said "wrong statements" by senior leaders did not help the party's cause.

They also said union ministers hailing from Uttar Pradesh were not sensitive enough towards the demands of workers. Fingers were also raised at the process of ticket distribution.

D.S. Mishra, a party candidate from Banaras, told IANS before going to the meeting that the party's organisational structure was virtually defunct in his area.

"Our workers were unable to create awareness among people about the massive social schemes of the central government including the rural jobs scheme," he said.

Suresh Bharti from Pratapgarh district said that Samajwadi Party had swayed voters with attractive promises to all sections including the minorities, students, unemployed and agriculturists but the Congress could not get its message across properly.

A.M. Ansari, who contested from a constituency in Kanpur, said Gandhi told them to "forget differences and strengthen the organisation at block and booth level".

"We will struggle, come out on the road," Ansari said.

He said Gandhi also assured them that the organisation would be revamped where ever necessary.

Sunita Singh, a party candidate from Lucknow, said Gandhi gave indications of changes in the party organisation.

Party candidates said that they were assured of suitable place in the party structure as they demonstrated support at the grassroot level.