This Article is From May 13, 2014

After Voting Ends, Congress Takes Stock

After Voting Ends, Congress Takes Stock
New Delhi: Just when India's longest ever polling process was coming to an end, the most senior leaders of the Congress trooped into 10 Janpath, the residence of party president Sonia Gandhi for a stock taking meeting.

The Congress' top leadership discussed how the party fared in the 2014 elections. None of the leaders who attended the meeting spoke to the media, but sources indicated anti-incumbency had cost the party and it is unlikely emerge victorious in the election.

Even though the exit polls had given a decisive mandate to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance, the party is cautious and does not want to comment eitherways.

Sources say Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, the party's faces of these elections, discussed poll report from senior leaders in every state. The two leaders also reportedly thanked the Congress general secretaries for their efforts to fiercely fight the elections.

Congress insiders say the party still hopes to get numbers in the range of 130 plus seats and a fractured mandate that will allow it to have a say in government formation. One reason why Congress is not prepared to accept the predictions made by exit polls is because of their past experience.

Party leaders say in the last election in 2009, most exit polls had predicted 140-150 seats for the Congress. But the party actually crossed the 200 mark.

Among those who attended the meeting included Janardan Dwivedi, Ahmed Patel, Oscar Fernnades, C P Joshi and Ajay Maken.
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