Ranchi, April 7 (IANS) The Congress is facing a "difficult position in a few seats" in Jharkhand, but BJP doesn't seem to be much better off as a leader concedes that just "two to three seats are safe for the BJP".
"We hope to get 11 to 12 seats. Even opinion polls have predicted 10 seats for our party," former state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Raghubar Das told IANS.
On multi-corner fight in all the seats, he said: "People have made up their minds. Some regional parties are fighting just to make their presence felt, but this is the Lok Sabha poll not assembly polls."
BJP leaders, however, privately admitted that the polls may spring surprises, and victory margins may be less in many seats.
"Two to three seats are safe for the BJP, but no party is in a position to claim victory in any particular seat," a party leader said.
Jharkhand will see three-phase polling - April 10 (five seats), April 17 (five) and April 24 (four seats).
"The UPA will repeat its 2004 results and win 13 seats in the state," Chief Minister Hemant Soren, who is addressing rallies every day, said at a meeting in Dhanbad Saturday.
The Congress is confident of winning four-five seats.
Jharkhand Congress spokesperson Shailesh Sinha told IANS: "Our tally will improve and we will be able to win four to five seats. It's true the multi-corner fight has given a choice to the people and put us in a difficult position in a few seats but we will also get benefits in other seats."
The Lok Sabha election is being seen as a semi-final for the assembly polls scheduled for November-December.
In 2009, the Bharatiya Janata Party had won seven of the 14 seats and the party is banking on prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi's charisma to retain the seats. The party had won four seats in 2009 by less than 5,000 votes.
The Congress-led United Progressive Alliance is also trying to improve its tally.
The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), Congress and Rashtriya Janata Dal are fighting on four, nine and one seat respectively. In 2009, the JMM had won two seats and Congress one.
Two regional parties - Jharkhand Vikas Morcha-Prajatantrik (JVM-P) and All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) - are fighting in 14 and seven seats respectively.
Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress is also contesting from 11 seats.
Three legislators - Bandhu Tirkey, Chamra Linda and Chandra Shekhar Dubey - supporting Hemant Soren's government joined the Trinamool and are fighting the polls from Ranchi, Lohardagga and Dhanbad.
The 14th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is going to start from today. The first match
Prithvi Shaw fined: Prithvi Shaw was heavily disciplined, fined 25% of the match fee
Delhi Capitals opener Prithvi Shaw has been fined 25 percent of the match for violating IPL rules
Delhi Weather: Rain continues in Delhi-NCR, cold weather, yellow alert issued
The rain in Delhi-NCR for three consecutive days has cooled down the heat. Today, for the third c
The growing pile of garbage on Chile's Atacama Desert, called Earth's Mars, has increased the con
After aggressive Campaign, Modi opts for Silence
New Delhi, Feb 11 (IANS) Twenty four hours after the Delhi poll results, which came as a nasty
It is the year 1942. Hitler's 300,000 Nazi soldiers were marching toward the city of Stalingrad a
Sushma Swaraj to begin China visit Saturday (Lead)
New Delhi, Jan 30 (IANS) External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will Saturday embark on a thre
NC, Congress won't fight each other in RS polls
Jammu, Jan 28 (IANS) The National Conference will back Congress' Ghulam Nabi Azad in the Feb 7
Policeman killed in militant attack on police station in Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu, March 20 (IANS) A policeman was killed on Friday when a group of militants attacked a po
The Supreme Court has refused to stay the proposed maha panchayat at Purola in Uttarkashi, Uttara
