With the exit polls after the third phase predicting a drubbing for it, the Congress is now looking at its allies in the final round on May 10 to bail it out with the right numbers.The party has a pre-poll alliance with the DMK in Tamil Nadu and could get post-poll support from the Left parties — the main players in West Bengal and Kerala.Though pitted against the Left, the Congress is hoping that it would be able to garner more than 40 seats, most of which would come from the 183 seats going to polls on May 10.In Tamil Nadu, the party is contesting 10 seats but it will campaign for its partner, the DMK, in the rest and hopes to reduce the chances of AIADMK — a possible post-poll NDA ally.The strategy committee of the Congress today met to fine-tune the plans in the run-up to the last phase, for which only three days of campaigning are left — ending at 5 pm on May 8 for the May 10 polling.For the first time in these elections, the Congerss has booked slots on Doordarshan and also on the Tamil Nadu-based Sun Television.The third phase exit polls haven’t shaken the Congress, which has been expecting a repeat of the Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan — the two states where it was decimated in December 2003.Jairam Ramesh, member strategy committee, said: ‘‘Congress did reasonably well in the first and second phases of elections and third phase has gone in favour of the BJP. But the fourth phase will go to the non-NDA allies.’’‘‘Internal reports show the NDA has been decisively rejected. A secular non-NDA government led by the Congress is inevitable,” said party spokesperson S. Jaipal Reddy.
