New Delhi, Jun 21 (IANS): After a dismal performance in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, more bad news for Congress comes from Jharkhand, where it can win only around 26 out of 81 seats in the assembly elections due later this year, says a party internal survey.

According to a senior party leader, the internal survey says the Congress will again have to sit in opposition as it will fall short of a majority by over 15 seats.

The Congress had won six seats in the 2014 Assembly elections in the state.

According to a top Congress source, the party has lost its vote share among the people in the state as only "tribals and Muslims" are voting for the party. He said the report indicates that the party could win only in rural areas, while in the urban and city areas, the BJP is again going to retain most seats.

The BJP fought the 2014 assembly election in alliance with All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU), garnering 42 out of 81 seats. The BJP had contested 72 seats while its alliance partner, the AJSU, contested eight seats (winning five seats).

In the recent general election, the Congress and its ally Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) could manage to win one seat each out of 14. The party source said the report also discusses ending its alliance with the Shibu Soren-led JMM in the state.

The source said the JMM was unable to retain its stronghold in Dumka during the general election this year. He said the Congress lost narrowly on two seats in the state in the Lok Sabha elections. The COngress's Kali Charan Munda lost to BJP's Arjun Muda from Khunti Lok Sabha seat by a margin on 1,43 votes while the Congress candidate Sukhdeo Bhagat from Lohardaga parliamentary seat lost to BJP's Sudarshan Bhagat by a margin of over 10,000 votes.

Following the party's drubbing in the Lok Sabha elections, party state unit chief Ajoy Kumar has offered to step down. Congress Jharkhand in-charge and former Union minister R.P.N. Singh had visited the state last week where the party workers had demonstrated against the leaders. The assembly elections in the state are scheduled later in the year.