The ruling Congress in Assam today rejected the exit polls that had last evening predicted the end of its 15-year rule in the state but its leaders simultaneously "reassessed" the party's prospects in the Assembly elections.

Senior Assam PCC spokesperson Apurba Kumar Bhattacharjya told reporters here this afternoon that there were strong reasons to believe that the exit polls results had been manipulated by the BJP which is in power at the Centre to unnerve officials engaged in counting duty.

"The BJP is trying to put mental pressure on officials engaged in counting duty by showing, through exit polls, that the party will sweep the polls in Assam. We fear that some officials might succumb to such pressure tactics and take decision in favour of the BJP in constituencies where the contest will be very close between the ruling party and the Opposition parties," Bhattacharjya said.

He alleged that exit polls were conducted by a section of people who did not know the ground realities of the state and added that such figures had gone wrong in the past too. He claimed that the actual results on May 19 would tell a different story and the Congress would once again emerge winner in the state's polls.

Though Bhattacharjya made a claim of his party coming to power again, the scene at Rajiv Bhawan, the state Congress headquarters, was not very bright. While senior leaders were conspicuous by their absence, a majority of those present appeared depressed about the exit poll outcome.

Though the Congress officially debunked the exit polls, party insiders said most party candidates and leaders got busy redoing calculations. Their previous calculations had seen the Assam PCC and chief minister Tarun Gogoi claim that they would reach the magic figure of 64 without help from the AIUDF. The latter is still trying for a post-result tie-up.

"It's true. Our candidates and leaders have reanalysed the ground situation since yesterday and we are still confident of forming the government for the fourth time," one of them said at Rajiv Bhawan, which, nonetheless, wore a sombre look. Most exit polls have signalled the ouster of the Congress government.

On the other hand, the BJP's chief ministerial candidate, Sarbananda Sonowal, was composed and confident in his reaction to the exit poll outcome.

"Let us wait till May 19 but the exit poll outcome clearly reflects that the people of Assam have overwhelmingly voted for change. We are confident of forming the government and the people of Assam have instilled that confidence in us. The BJP has managed to win the hearts of both Muslims and Hindus," Sonowal said on the sidelines of an official function he attended as Union sports minister.

He released the IIM Ahmedabad case study on the successful hosting of the South Asian Games in Guwahati and Meghalaya in February at the function. He, however, did not spell out how many seats the BJP and its allies were expecting. The BJP had made Mission 84 its target for the Assam Assembly polls.

Sonowal is a former AASU president and AGP legislator who joined the BJP in 2011.He became its Assam president in 2012, a Union minister in 2014 and was named the state's chief ministerial candidate in 2016.

Dutta in hospital: PCC president Anjan Dutta was admitted to a private hospital in New Delhi today with viral infection. He arrived in Delhi on May 12 on his way to Assam from South Africa. Dutta was not keeping well since then.