Focus on a few seats is Congress mantra for survival

The party thinks the worst is over; hopes to bag at least 12 seats

With its back against the wall, the Congress has channelised its resources to strategically handpicked 32 constituencies in the national capital, though it is contesting on all 70 seats. The party, which was almost decimated in the 2013 Assembly election, thinks the worst is over.

The Congress hopes to bag at least 12 seats, where the Congress is in a strong position. These shortlisted 32 constituencies are those where Congress won or came a close second. In Sultanpur Majra constituency, the Congress candidate Jai Kishan won last time. In the neighbouring seat, Nangloi Jat, the Congress lost by a margin of 8 per cent votes. The party hopes to win these two this time. Besides these two, the party would focus on Muslim-dominated seats such as Okhla, Seelampur, Ballimaran and Mustafadabad.

The Sadar Bazaar constituency from where Congress face Ajay Maken is contesting figures on the list.  To ensure better coordination, the party appointed seven senior Congress leaders, including Bhoopinder Singh Hooda, Salman Khurshid, CP Joshi, Anand Sharma, Mukul Wasnik, Virbhadra Singh and Pawan Bansal.

“We know for sure that the in at least 10 to 13 seats this time around, the decisive margin will be very narrow. So every vote counts and in each of these shortlisted constituencies we will have to ensure that our voters step out to vote,” said a Congress strategist.