The issue was reportedly discussed in a meeting of the senior party leaders early this week at the AICC headquarters. The meeting was attended by the Congress President Sonia Gandhi and a host of other important leaders like Rahul Gandhi, Ashok Gehlot, party general secretary incharge of Delhi, Ahmed Patel, political secretary to the Congress president, Shiela Dixit, chief minister of Delhi and Jai Prakash Aggarwal, Delhi Congress president.

Both Dixit and Aggarwal briefed the senior leaders about the ground situation and expressed their fear about the possibilities of BSP capable of harming the electoral prospects of the party. However, they could identify only three such seats.

The meeting was called to discuss an independent assessment gathered by the party high command which predicted that the BSP may upset their calculations in at least 10 to 12 seats.

This assessment had created panic among the Congress leaders because if this becomes true, Congress will be out of power in Delhi.

That is why party command directed the state party chief to gear up the political-campaign machinery at all levels.

According to a report, the Congress leadership has in its possession a large number of grievances from the people belonging to eastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Uttarakhand who hold key influence in more than 14 assembly segments. Such people seem unhappy with the Congress as they feel the party has not only denied proper representation to them but also ignored them during the last five years.

Support from these people is important for Congress because they are the people who were instrumental in Congress party's victories in the national capital in the last two successive assembly polls.

This time, Congress has given only one ticket to Uttarakhandis and two to purvanchalis. The leaders from these two communities had staked their claim on six to eight seats.

It may be mentioned here that the BJP has given two tickets to Uttarakhandis and three to Purvanchalis.

Apprehending a backlash, the central leadership of the Congress has roped in two top Bihar leaders of the UPA - Lalu Prasad Yadav and Ramvilas Paswan to woo Purvanchalis.

Rajya Sabha MP Harish Rawat from Congress has been entrusted with the responsibility of handling voters from Uttarakhand state who are in quite large number in East and South-west Delhi.(EON)