Expressing gratitude to all, he said, “We had only one commitment to the nation - to conduct a neutral election. We have tried our best to ensure that. We are deeply grateful to the people of the country as they participated spontaneously in this massive arrangement. This has proved that we are ultimately victorious as a nation.”

He further said the election commission did not consider it merely a responsibility to hold an election but accepted it as a sacred trust. Referring to earlier apprehensions, he said all fears and ominous signals were swept away by the overwhelming surge of voters.