The assessment predicts that the party, with its allies in the State, could reach a total tally of nearly 115-118 of the 288 Assembly seats; of these about 105 are sure-shot seats. Most exit polls have suggested that the NCP could emerge as the one with lowest seats among Congress and Shiv Sena-BJP.

The assessment comes from combined skills of pollsters who worked privately for the party and the ground-level prognosis made by top leaders themselves. These look-good figures have begun circulating and key leaders have been told to establish contact with Independents as well as likely defectors from other parties so that the NCP-led coalition can notch up the required 144 for a simplemajority in the Assembly.

This assessment suggests only about 80 seats for the Congress which may be running neck-and-neck with the Sena-BJP coalition. Ironically, an internal stock-taking by Congress bigwigs in the last few days has suggested that the party may touch the 120 figure too.

``I am willing to take up any bets on this figure. Once we have that, several people from the NCP will come over to us and we will form the government,'' said Suresh Kalmadi, campaign-in-chief.

The assessment-predictions sought by the NCP also cover Lok Sabha seats -- about 12 across the State -- but party leaders are more immediately concerned with the State Assembly tally since this will determine the future of the party itself. Even if the NCP does not cross the 100-mark, leaders say, the party could emerge strong enough to determine the course of events in the post-result scenario.

``There's no doubt that we will emerge as the single-largest group; and with our allies we will be in a position to form the nextgovernment,'' said State chief Chhagan Bhujbal. Where confidence counts, both the NCP as well as the Congress display much the same levels of self-assurance. Only in private conversations does the NCP's confidence-level appears more definite with even second-rung leaders willing to show the party's sure-shot seats on a State map.

``Anywhere that we may have a doubt, we have granted the seat to our opponents. Still we are clearly above the 100-mark,'' said a senior leader. With results barely a week away, the assessments have given both the parties a jump-start to make contacts with possible defectors and begin negotiations.