Raj Jogi

Disapproving the exit polls, which have shown a neck-and-neck fight, Jogi said: ‘‘Congress candidates and DCC chief are continuously giving their feedback about an easy win. I really don’t know how exit polls are making it a close battle.’’

At the Congress election control room, the leaders spent a whole day in tabulating the victory margins, seat by seat. The party assessment puts its winning at 53 plus seats and the NCP drawing a blank. ‘‘The BJP will be anywhere between 30 to 35,’’ a veteran Congress leader said.

What cannot also be overlooked is Jogi’s old trick of getting support, from Independents or smaller parties like the BSP, in case the party falls short of a few seats.

Meanwhile, according to the Election Commission, the polling percentage was as high as 70 per cent. Jogi’s constituency recorded 72 per cent polling though one polling station at village Naka will go for repoll tomorrow.

There were reports that a group of unidentified people captured a polling booth between 4 pm and 4.15 pm and polled 15 to 20 votes. The presiding officer, in his report, confirmed the incident. Jogi alleged that his opponent, BJP candidate Nand Kumar Sai, was himself seen at the booth. The Marwahi police have also registered an FIR against Sai, his private secretary and PSO for assaulting some Congress workers. Sai had alleged yesterday that Jogi supporters attacked him when he was giving an interview to a TV channel.