Cong office deserted

Till about a week back,Congress workers talked of getting a majority and forming the government in Uttar Pradesh

Till about a week back,Congress workers talked of getting a majority and forming the government in Uttar Pradesh. But today,on the eve of counting of votes,the mood at the party office was visibly subdued.

The office wore a deserted look,and none of the senior leaders were present. With state Congress president Rita Bahuguna Joshi at her house,there were only a few workers and spokespersons.

But the few who were around rubbished the exit polls which predicted that the Congress would end up fourth,after the SP,BSP and BJP. We must not have performed as bad as they are showing. Rahulji has really worked hard, said a party worker.

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Another Congress member tried to explain the absence of crowds. Here,people come only after big leaders. If there are no leaders,there are no crowds. This silence will be broken only after the results tomorrow, he said.

Pointing to the war of words between Union Steel Minister Beni Prasad Verma and P L Punia,chairman of the National SC/ST Commission,being played out on one of the news channels,a party worker remarked,no wonder people are laughing at us. That set off a discussion on the partys mistakes in the elections.

A little distance away,a small crowd gathered outside Rita Bahuguna Joshis house. She had just returned from a visit to the dentist. I utilised these three days after the last phase of polling to get all my medical check-ups done, she said. The results will be better than they are showing.

To a question on whether the predictions can be trusted,she replied: Ill be available at the party office after 11:30 am tomorrow.

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