Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge to hold meeting to strategise on poll outcomes

A day after voting concluded for the Lok Sabha polls and the exit polls predicted yet another victory for the Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government at the Centre, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi is slated to join a virtual meeting with all candidates from his party along with party chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday morning, sources from the party said.

Party sources also said that after the meeting at 11 am, Kharge and Gandhi will be holding a virtual meeting with prominent Congress leaders from across the country at 1 pm.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Sachin Pilot and other leaders of the party are expected to join the meeting to discuss the assessments and preparations for June 4, the day of the counting of votes. Congress sources said the meeting at 1 pm will be live-streamed.

The meeting also comes close on the heels of the opposition-led Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc meeting at the residence of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge in the national capital on Saturday.

Leaders from Congress, Samajwadi Party, CPI-M, CPI, DMK, JMM, AAP, RJD, Shiv Sena (UBT), and NCP (Sharad Pawar) gathered at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's residence for discussions.

The voting for the 543-member Lok Sabha was held simultaneously with the Assembly elections in Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. While the long drawn-out voting process spread over seven phases concluded on Saturday, the counting of votes is scheduled for June 4.

The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance is poised for a hat-trick win in Lok Sabha polls with a massive majority, exit polls predicted on Saturday and indicated that the ruling party at the Centre would improve its performance in several states ruled by other parties.

A few exit polls predicted that the BJP-led NDA could reach the goal of "400 paar" stated by BJP leaders in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls.

The exit polls predicted that the ruling BJP-led NDA is poised to improve its performance over its 2019 record when it won 352 seats. Two polls predicted the BJP also improving its numbers from the 303 seats it won in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

The Narendra Modi-led BJP is seeking a third term in power, while the opposition INDIA bloc is aiming to wrest power by stopping the juggernaut.

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