New Delhi, Jun 6 (PTI) Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday thanked the Samajwadi Party leadership over the INDIA bloc's performance in the Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh, saying the two parties' workers unitedly fought the polls and became the sentinels of democracy.

The BJP-led NDA suffered a jolt in UP, where it won just 36 seats as against the INDIA bloc which bagged 43 -- a significant contribution to the overall tally of the opposition alliance.

In a post in Hindi on X, Priyanka Gandhi congratulated SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, his wife Dimple Yadav and SP Rajya Sabha MP Ram Gopal Yadav.

She also congratulated the "hardworking" workers of the SP for the results in UP.

"We all together fought a historic battle under difficult circumstances. On the ground, the workers of the Congress and the SP courageously raised their voice for the issues of the people, social justice and the Constitution. Despite all the threats and repression, they united and became the sentinels of democracy and stood at every booth," the Congress general secretary said.

"Due to the hard work of all of you, the public has shown confidence in our unity and our commitment towards the issues," Priyanka Gandhi said, and thanked the SP leaders and workers.

The Akhilesh Yadav-led SP, which leads the INDIA bloc in UP, alone got 37 seats this time, becoming the single largest party in the politically crucial state. The BJP managed to win 33 seats as against the 62 it had won in 2019.

The SP ally Congress won six seats, including Amethi and Rae Bareli, in the elections. In the NDA, Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) won two seats while Anupriya Patel-led Apna Dal (S) got one.