Congress 'nervous' before ballot counting in Delhi

After exit polls results predicted doom for the Congress in the Delhi assembly elections, the party has been "jittery" and "nervous", sources said, hours before counting of votes begins Sunday.

"Going by what exit polls have indicated, it is natural for us to be nervous," a senior party leader told IANS Saturday.

Although various polls have prophesied better results for the BJP and debutant AAP, what is common to almost all the exit polls is the rout of the Sheila Dikshit-led Congress in Delhi, which has held power for 15 years.

Another source in the party said: "The situation is grim, but the internal report of the Congress on the outcome is not as bad as projected by exit polls."

Another prediction that many of the exit polls have made is that if the AAP does not support either the Congress or the BJP, the possibility of a hung assembly looms large.

One exit poll has shown the AAP bagging over 20 seats; if that turns out an accurate prediction, the calculation of the other two parties to form the magic numbers in the 70-member assembly will be upended.

Asked whether the Congress is contemplating an alliance with AAP once the results are declared, a party leader said: "It is too early to say anything."

In the 2008 assembly polls, Congress had won 43 seats, while the BJP bagged 23.