The party had a list of star campaigners including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra but she did not step out to campaign for the party.
Priyanka was supposed to campaign in both Haryana and Maharashtra.
Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi had to campaign in one rally but at the last moment it was cancelled due to her illness. Instead Rahul Gandhi addressed the rally. Rahul addressed a total of seven rallies - three in Haryana and four in Maharashtra. The party could not match the BJP's carpet bombing.
While Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed 25 rallies, Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also addressed several other rallies.
The Prime Minister targeted the Congress and the Gandhi family but it was left to Rahul to defend the party on core issues.
The party did place former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on October 17 to pitch on the economic slowdown. But he also toned down the Congress line on Article 370 and Veer Savarkar.
Congress source say Priyanka has confined herself to Uttar Pradesh. She is busy in putting the house in order in the state though she campaigned outside UP in the general election.
While Congress leaders maintained that the party wanted that local issues must dominate the election so national leaders were not pitched.
However, the BJP campaigned on national issues and party is again banking on the Modi charisma.
Congress insiders say that Rahul Gandhi left for Cambodia for a meditation session but was called in for the campaigning in the state by Sonia Gandhi.
Rahul only had a cameo appearance in the campaign. Congress workers say that Rahul Gandhi is miffed the way the party is being handled and many leaders were ignored in ticket distribution.
He did not share the stage with former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda in both the rallies he addressed.
In Mumbai, Congress leaders Sanjay Nirupam and Milind Deora both did not attend the rally addressed by Rahul Gandhi.
( With inputs from IANS )