Congress will fight on 440 seats

BEFORE the Lok Sabha elections start, Congress strategist Jairam Ramesh has conceded it will be a 'tough fight' although he is optimistic that his party will win again. Ramesh said his party would contest around 440 seats out of 543 seats as against 417 in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections. It won 145 seats the last time, while the party expects to better its performance this time.