New Delhi, Worried over the possible damage Bahujan Samaj Party could cause to Congress in the ensuing assembly polls in Delhi, the high command of the ruling party has reportedly asked its top strategists to evolve a strategy to counter the growing influence of the new entrant.

The issue was reportedly discussed in a meeting of the senior party leaders early this week at the AICC headquarters. Besides, the Congress president the meeting was also attended by 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 claimed that BSP could harm the electoral prospects of the party in at least two to three seats. However, independent assessment that the party high command has gathered from a neutral source suggested that the BSP is causing serious harm to Congress in at least 10 to 12 seats. This assessment has created panic among the Congress leaders who have directed the state party chief to gear up the party machinery at all level.

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

These two communities were main instrumental in Congress party's two successive victories in the national capital. Congress has given only one ticket to Uttarakhandis and two to purvanchalis. The leaders from these two communities had staked claim on six to eight seats. 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 Yadav and Ramvilas Paswan to woo Purvanchalis and party's Rajya Sabha MP Harish Rawat has been entrusted with the responsibility of handling voters from his state who are in quite large number in east and south west Delhi.

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