Last Updated: December 01, 2023, 23:37 IST
Congress’ high command is planning to relocate Telangana MLAs to Bengaluru. (Photo: X )
DK Shivakumar is expected to reach Hyderabad in Telangana on Saturday while Randeep Surjewala will arrive in Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh
Two days ahead of the results to assembly elections in five states and a clear edge to the Congress party in at least two states in the exit polls, the senior leadership of the grand old party has geared up to prevent poaching in case of tight race on December 3.
Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge has directed all incharges and observers of the election states to remain in the state of which they have been given responsibility, a report in ANI said.
The senior Congress leader has told the state incharges to keep an eye on the counting of votes on Sunday.
DK Shivakumar is expected to reach Hyderabad in Telangana on Saturday while Randeep Surjewala will arrive in Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh.
The exit poll predictions released by several news outlets gave a majority to Congress in Telangana and Chhattisgarh. Though the initial predictions gave the BJP a lead in Rajasthan, the contest is likely to be close in Madhya Pradesh.
The Congress’ high command will also take a call on relocating Telangana MLAs to Bengaluru or any other Congress-ruled state after the counting of votes on Sunday, a report in Times of India said.
Congress leader and Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar said his sources had told him that Telangana CM K Chandrasekhar Rao had already approached several Congress leaders, NDTV reported.
In Madhya Pradesh, where a tight race is expected, the Congress will send its election winners to Karnataka to prevent poaching of its MLAs.
“Our national and state leaders are confident. No Congress MLA can be bought or poached,” Shivakumar reportedly said.
Cong Confident in Telangana
Telangana Congress president Revanth Reddy is confident of the party’s victory with a ‘two third majority’.
“Congress is going to get landslide victory this time and the same thing is reflected in the exit polls. We are going to get over 80 seats…There is a screening committee and a selection committee and then the Congress Working Commitee (CWC) has to take a call (on who will be the Chief Minister),” Reddy said after the exit polls prediction were out.
According to Axis My India, the ruling BRS is predicted to get 34-44 seats, while the opposition Congress will get 63-73 seats, the BJP 4-8 seats and others are likely to get 5-8 seats.
On the other hand, the poll of polls for Telangana predicted 61 seats for Congress, 44 for the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), 6 for All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), 7 for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and 1 for the other parties.
A voter turnout of 70.60 per cent was recorded in elections to the 119-member Telangana assembly on Thursday (November 30). The results will be announced on December 3.
Back to Power in Chhattisgarh
In 90-seat Chhattisgarh, exit poll portals predicted Congress under Bhupesh Singh Baghel as leading followed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The poll of polls for Chhattisgarh projects 50 seats to Congress, 38 seats to BJP and 2 seats to others.
Axis My India by India Today predicted 40 to 50 seats for Congress, 36 to 46 seats for BJP and 1 to 5 seats for others.
