BJP smug, Digvijay puts up a brave face

Digvijay continues to contend that he will again upstage the pollsters and form a government for the third time. His confidence continues to worry BJP supporters. To add to his boast, he said he will invite journalists for lunch on December 4 so that they can watch the results with him and celebrate his victory.

But there are very few takers of his claim. While the exit polls have each predicted a different margin of victory, all of them agree on a BJP majority and show that the difference between the BJP and Congress vote percentage exceeds five, an almost unprecedented margin in MP electoral politics.

It is, however, true that the poll turnout has not been in keeping with expectations. Most observers feel that dissatisfaction with the government can result in higher-than-normal voting percentages but it seems now that the final figures will range around 60 per cent.

The other point that all exit polls presage is the increasing importance of ‘‘the others’’ in MP politics. At the end of what may be the last bi-polar contest in MP, Congress leaders are still banking on this factor to see them through. Senior Congress leader Kamalnath today stated that he expects the others to make up a number large enough to deny the BJP a majority. The unstated hope is that Digvijay’s ‘‘management’’ skills can see the party through but even the most ardent of Congress supporters feel this is a long shot now.