Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday claimed that INDIA Bloc coalition will register a win over 295 plus Lok Sabha seats in the seven-phase general elections 2024 that concluded on Saturday.

Kharge, along with top leaders of the Bloc including former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, met at the residence of Congress president to discuss their strategy for the counting of votes on June 4.

"INDIA Bloc will get a big majority, we have a people's survey with us," Kharge said after the Opposition meeting. He said the parties have also sought time from the Election Commission of India on Sunday for steps to be taken during counting of votes besides having conveyed their workers not to leave the counting hall till all formalities are over on June 4.

Senior leaders of the Congress, Samajwadi Party, CPI-M, CPI, DMK, JMM, AAP, RJD, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (Sharad Pawar) held discussions, even as the last phase of polling was underway. Opposition leaders who attended the meeting included Sharad Pawar, Akhilesh Yadav, Tejashwi Yadav, Anil Desai, Sitaram Yechury, Arvind Kejriwal, Bhagwat Mann, Sanjay Singh and Raghav Chadha, Champai Soren, Kalpana Soren, TR Baalu, Farooq Abdullah, D Raja and Mukesh Sahani. DMK was represented by party treasurer and leader of DMK's Parliamentary Party, Thiru. T.R. Baalu.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who was also present in the meeting, said INDIA Bloc is getting 295+ seats and the BJP will win around 220 seats and the NDA Bloc will win 235 seats. "INDIA alliance will form a strong and stable Government on its own. (The PM face) will be decided on June 4...," said Kejriwal who formed an alliance with Congress elsewhere including Delhi except for Punjab where the parties fought against each other.

Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav said in Uttar Pradesh, all seats of the BJP will be lost and the INDIA Bloc will win the most seats. "There was an earthquake of unemployment, price rise, GST, CBI, ED and Income Tax. All of these earthquakes will end," Yadav said after the same meeting. While former Bihar Dy CM and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav too exuded confidence of securing 295+ in the Lok Sabha polls. "INDIA (alliance) is winning. We will decide later (on PM's face)... Their (BJP's) film of '400 paar' became a flop in the first phase itself," said Tejashwi.

Udhhav Thackeray led Shiv Sena faction leader, Anil Desai who too was present in the meeting said the INDIA Bloc partners, including Congress and Sharad Pawar-led NCP, will win between 30-35 seats from Maharashtra and will be a major contributor in the 295 plus survey.

TMC chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had already said they would not attend the meeting as there were elections in the State, while PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti did not attend the meeting due to some medical reasons in family.

Interestingly a day after the Congress announced not to participate in the exit poll debates, Kharge said the members of INDIA Bloc decided in the meeting to participate in the debates on television.

Congress's media and publicity department head Pawan Khera said INDIA Bloc parties met and decided to expose the BJP and its ecosystem on the prefixed exit polls.  On Friday, Khera had said people have cast their votes and their verdict has been secured.

Kharge had earlier said this was an informal meeting where they would only discuss what kind of preparations they should have on the day of counting and how people should be alert, whether it is about the EVMs or the use of Form 17C. The meeting was only for discussing the counting preparations and the Congress has already told its State units to be alert about form 17C, he had said.