On the eve of the counting of the votes sealed in the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and postal ballots for the 16th lok Sabha , the Congress is optimistic about improving its tally this time from the State.
The Congress emerged successful from one of the 11 lok Sabha seats from the State in 2004 and 2009 lok Sabha polls.
But this time the party is hopeful of improving its position, despite a strong anti-incumbency wave following charges of corruption and price rise among other reasons against Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government at
the Centre.
According to State Congress Media Cell chief Shailesh Nitin Trivedi, the party would improve its position when the election result would be out on Friday. The party, he said, lost at the 2004 lok Sabha polls for a minor margin from the State. The Congress polled 40.16 per cent and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) 47.78 per cent. A difference of 7.62 per cent margin.
Similarly, in 2009 lS polls, the Congress further lost its ground bagging 37.07 per cent and the BJP 45.27 and with 8.2 per cent difference between them. But this time, according to Trivedi, the ground reality was more in favour of the party and it would emerge victorious.
The party’s media cell, he said was ready to post the party workers with election result through live television channel coverage.
The party veterans from the State such as Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Processing Dr Charandas Mahant, former Chief Minister Ajit Jogi, former Minister Satyanarayan Sharma, Karuna Shukla are among the party candidates who are in the electoral fray.
The party is hopeful that with such senior people contesting the polls its chance to win more seats is almost certain. The party also advised workers and counting agents to be more alert in the counting which will start from 8 am on Friday.