The media panelists have been briefed to say that the anti-incumbency, if at all it appears in the results, are state-specific and have nothing to do with the UPA government at the Centre.
Congress party managers point out that the leadership of Sonia Gandhi has been tried and tested in the last two general elections, and it would be incorrect to link the results of four assembly elections to Rahul Gandhi's leadership skills.
Party managers are also at pains to explain that the results in these states do not necessarily mean endorsement of the leadership of Narendra Modi, the BJP's prime ministerial candidate. Conversely, the media panelists have been asked to pinpoint any setback to the BJP in any state to project that Modi's balloon has ultimately burst.
