Hopeful Congress prepares for counting

New Delhi, May 22 (IANS) A day ahead of counting of votes for the Lok Sabha elections, there was hustle and bustle at the Congress headquarters here with its functionaries making arrangements for media interactions on Thursday as the trends start pouring in.

Despite the exit polls largely giving majority to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), the party workers and office-bearers of the Congress, which was reduced to 44 seats in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, looked confident on Wednesday.

A senior office-bearer of the Congress told IANS: "The spokespersons of the party will arrive at the party office at 8.30 a.m. However, the senior leaders of the party will reach in the afternoon."

Asked if the party had ordered sweets in case the results go its way, he said, "The Congress had never ordered sweets in the past. This time too, we won't order sweets."

On whether Congress President Rahul Gandhi would address a press conference after the declaration of the election results on Thursday, he said, "It will be decided tomorrow. As of now, the barricading in the lawn has been done, which indicates that he shall be definitely coming to the party office."

However, the official was not sure if UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and her daughter and Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi would come to the party headquarters.

Most exit polls on Sunday predicted a thumping vitory for the BJP-led NDA. Earlier in the day, Rahul Gandhi dubbed the exit polls as "fake" and appealed to the Congress leaders to have faith in themselves and the party.