Leading Indian politician Rahul Gandhi says he is to blame for the Congress Party's poor finish in Tuesday's election in Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state.

Congress, the national ruling party, finished fourth in Uttar Pradesh and won in just one of the five states that held elections.

Gandhi says as the leader of the campaign in Uttar Pradesh he is responsible for the loss. He blamed the poor showing, in part, on what he said was poor party organization. He said losing the election will be a good lesson and will force him to pay attention to details.

Gandhi is the Congress Party general secretary. Losing the election in Uttar Pradesh could be a blow to Gandhi's hopes of being the next member of

the famed Gandhi-Nehru political dynasty that has dominated Indian politics since independence from Britain in 1947 to rise to a top leadership roll .

Some political experts have touted Gandhi as the next prime minister when India holds general elections in 2014.

The socialist Samajwadi Party won control of Uttar Pradesh. Congress held on to power in Manipur, but lost Goa to the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party. It also lost in Punjab and early results show it is in a tight race with the BJP in Uttarakhand.