Ahead of the assembly elections, the Congress conducted an internal survey for 150 assembly seats in Maharashtra. As per its survey, the grand old party is winning 85 seats, Maharashtra Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar said on Monday. In the 2019 assembly elections, the Congress had won 44 seats with nearly 16 per cent votes.
In the recent Lok Sabha elections, the grand old party emerged as the single largest party by bagging 13 of 48 seats. As per the Lok Sabha results, the Congress is leading in 63 assembly seats, followed by Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (57), and Sharad Pawar's NCP (34). Together, the MVA alliance is ahead on 154 of 288 seats.
Wadettiwar said the party has requested Rahul Gandhi to hold a considerable number of rallies during the poll campaign to give the Congress a further boost. "All parties conduct such surveys. Our survey, which covered 150 seats, shows us winning 85 seats. The Maha Vikas Aghadi will fight together and will ensure good governance to the people of Maharashtra," the Leader of the Opposition in the assembly asserted.
The Congress leader rejected some surveys that gave pole position to the ruling alliance Mahayuti, saying the agencies conducting them are fooling people after charging hefty fees. The Maha Vikas Aghadi comprises the Congress, Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT), and Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (SP).
In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the MVA bagged 31 seats (including that of Sangli won by a rebel Congressman). The ruling Mahayuti alliance got just 17 seats, with a major loss for the BJP.
As per the parliamentary numbers, the Mahayuti alliance is leading on 127 seats, with BJP ahead on 80, Eknath Shinde's Sena on 39, and Ajit Pawar's NCP on 6. In the last assembly elections, the BJP had won 105 seats and undivided Sena 56.
Maharashtra is likely to go to polls in November.
(With inputs from PTI)