Congress fully prepared for assembly polls, will get 75 seats in Chhattisgarh: Kumari Selja

New Delhi, Oct 11 (IANS) Two days after the Election Commission announced the poll schedule for Chhattisgarh, the ruling Congress on Wednesday said that it is fully prepared for the polls and it will win 75 seats in the mineral rich state.

The Congress also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP of not fulfilling its promises made to the people and said that this is the difference between the grand old party and the saffron party.

Addressing a Press conference at the party headquarters here, Congress' Chhattisgarh in-charge Kumari Selja said, “The poll bugle has been sounded. Dates have been announced and in Chhattisgarh polling will take place in two phases. Southern part of the state, which includes Bastar and Kanker, will go to polls in the first phase on November 7. After that on November 17, the polling in central and northern part of the state will take place.”

Selja said that Congress is fully prepared, and “if I say that we have been prepared for polls in last five years then it would not be wrong.

“Today we are going into polls with the slogan of ‘bharosa barkarar, phir se Congress sarkar’.

“On the basis of our works, we will form the government with full majority. We had won 68 in last elections and in the by elections we won three more. In the coming polls, we will get 75 seats,” she said.

“What Rahul Gandhi had promised to the people of Chhattisgarh, our government has fulfilled that, whether it is to farmers, tribals and landless workers nyay. Whatever we said, we delivered. This is the difference between the Congress and the BJP. The Congress never does the politics of lies whereas Prime Minister only makes rhetoric,” the Congress leader said.

“Rahul Gandhi ji does what he says, but PM Modi does nothing except making statements. When Prime Minister Modi went to Chhattisgarh there people asked him for a promise that Nagarnar Steel Plant will not be privatised, but he did not make any such promise,” she alleged.

Targeting the BJP, she said that the Modi government only talks tempting things about reservation for backward classes, but when it comes to giving something, they back down.

She said: “The bill was passed unanimously in Chhattisgarh, in which we gave 76 per cent reservation to various sections. The Governor herself talked about signing the bill, but she was already removed from the state. For this reason this bill is still pending. BJP does not want that those who should have a share in development should get a share.”

Selja further said that the Congress government in Chhattisgarh has made every section of the people including farmers and labourers a part of its development.

“We are purchasing forest produce in the state at MSP. Today, the largest share of forest produce in the country is coming from Chhattisgarh."

The polling for the 90-member assembly will take place in two phases. The polling for first phase will be held on November 20 in 20 assembly seats while polling for the 70 assembly seats will be held on November 17 in the second phase. Counting of votes will take place on December 3.