Peeved by the exit poll surveys showing a complete rout for the Congress in the just-concluded Assembly elections, the party on Thursday took to self-introspection with its vice-president Rahul Gandhi summoning top leaders of the four States. To begin with, the party discussed the prospect of forming a Government in Chhattisgarh where they were confident of until the surveys started pouring in. Gandhi is scheduled to meet the top leaders of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi in the next two days where Assembly elections got over and results are due on Sunday.
Rahul is learnt to have talked in detail about the Congress’ possibilities in Assembly constituencies in the key regions of Chhattisgarh on Thursday. Sources said that he was briefed that the Bastar region in Chhattisgarh will tilt the balance in the favour of Congress this time as it had happened in favour of BJP in the past.
leaders, who visited Gandhi at his residence, included former Chief Minister Ajit Jogi, PCC Chief Charan Das Mahant, AICC treasurer and party’s campaign committee chief for Chhattisgarh polls Motilal Vora, Mohsina Kidwai, AICC General Secretary in-charge for the State BK Hariprasad, Dhanendhra Sahu and Ravindra Choubey.
Questioning the veracity of the surveys, party spokesperson Bhakta Charan Das said he personally observed the polls in Chhattisgarh and there was clear indication that Congress was emerging victorious there. “The morning of December 8 will be a new morning. Surveys are an attempt to mislead people of the country and demoralise Congress workers (especially of Chhattisgarh),” he said at the AICC briefing.
“If the poll agencies can predict such a thing in Chhattisgarh, then there must not be any basis for their reports in any other State. No polling agency had gone to Chhattisgarh as long as we were there. I do not know who reached there and how. We were shown getting a clear lead even in media reports then,” he said.
The Congress spokesperson claimed that the party is very confident about Delhi and that the results in Rajasthan will be “surprising” and there is a “wave for change” in Madhya Pradesh.
When asked about the AAP factor, Das said, “Sometimes truth eclipses untruth for a brief spell. Those who work among people have to struggle. Thanks to the media, a new political group has been created. That party got a donation of Rs 20 crore. Package is going on in media. Even the corporate houses make political parties.”