Exit polls...

“The anger was very palpable against the BJP in these elections and people were willing and happy to accept the blueprint given by the Congress,” said senior Congress leader Sachin Pilot, who is also the party’s contender for the top post in Rajasthan. “People want answers for questions which they have avoided for the last five years as prices rise, farmers are in distress and the economy is collapsing.”

He added: “It is very easy to see that the BJP is on the backfoot in all these five state assembly polls and the Congress is giving an alternative which most people are endorsing and that is the take away from these exit polls.”

A better result for the Congress will be a morale booster for the opposition party and Gandhi, after a series of debacles in state elections since the 2014 general elections. Earlier this year, the party formed a post-poll alliance with the Janata Dal (Secular) to retain power in Karnataka, where the BJP emerged as the single largest party.

BJP spokesman GVL Narasimha Rao said: “The Congress