Preparations underway at Cong headquarters ahead of counting day

Preparations were underway at the Congress headquarters here on Monday for the June 4 counting day with many supporters seeing them as arrangements for celebration of the INDIA bloc's victory in the Lok Sabha polls despite exit polls suggesting otherwise.

Tent-poles had been erected in the grounds of the Congress' 24, Akbar Road headquarters here and giant coolers were being set up around its sprawling premises.

Most exit polls have predicted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will retain power for a third straight term, with the BJP-led NDA expected to win a big majority in the Lok Sabha polls.

While some exit polls have given the NDA more than 400 seats, most have predicted that it will win over 350, which is way above the majority mark of 272 seats needed to form the government.

Terming the exit polls "bogus", the Congress on Sunday said they were a "deliberate attempt to justify rigging" of the elections and part of "psychological games" being played by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to lower the morale of the INDIA bloc workers.

"This is not called an exit poll but its name is 'Modi media poll'. This is Modi ji's poll, it is his fantasy poll," former Congress president Rahul Gandhi had said on Sunday.

Congress leaders have said that the INDIA bloc will win 295 seats and form the government.