Rahul Gandhi puts up brave face; Congress keeps fingers crossed

NEW DELHI: On the eve of the assembly election results, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi tried to strike a brave face by dismissing the exit poll projections and maintaining that the Congress would score a victory in UP just as the Grand Alliance in Bihar.

“Our alliance is winning. Such exit polls we saw in Bihar also. We will talk tomorrow,” Gandhi told media persons outside Parliament House on Friday. Gandhi later took stock of the political situation with some senior Congress leaders.

After the exit poll projections, the Congress camp is keeping its fingers crossed. The party has high stakes not only in UP but also in Punjab, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa. At the AICC news conference, party spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi maintained that the alliance will win the UP polls.

When asked if the Congress would seek the support of BSP leader Mayawati, in the event of a hung verdict as SP chief Akhilesh Yadav has done, he dismissed it as a hypothetical question but added the course of nature and politics would ensure a way to fill any vacuum.

In the event of a hung verdict, the Congress camp feels anybody emerging the largest party with over 160 seats will have head start in garnering post-poll allies.

Though Congress leaders say they were informally in touch with BSP, they recognise the role of the Centre would be crucial in case of a hung verdict. For the Congress, the prospects of the alliance forming the next government would emerge only if it wins 170 seats or more.