Haryana Assembly Polls: A Confident Congress Claims It Will Win More Than 70 Seats

Ahead of the upcoming state assembly polls in Haryana, Congress has said that it will win more than 70 seats. Haryana Legislative Assembly has 90 seats. State Congress chief Udai Bhan told news agency ANI that the party will form government in the state. Bhan's statement followed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's attack on Congress during his rallies in Doda in Kashmir and Kurukshetra in Haryana.

"The Congress party is getting huge public support wherever we go there is a huge crowd. In 2005, the Congress party got 67 seats and now we are getting more support than that, we hope that Congress will win more than 70 seats and form the government," said Udai Bhan as quoted by ANI.

Congress has already declared its candidates for Haryana elections. Currently, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rules Haryana. The party is pulling all stops to retain power and rule the state for a third time.

Voting for Haryana elections are slated to take place on October 5 and counting of votes is to take place on October 8.

Situation in 2019

Haryana Legislative Assembly elections 2019 saw a close contest between the BJP and the Opposition. Although BJP could bag 40 and Congress was able to cross the 30-mark with 31 seats, BJP couldn't reach the magic figure of 45. It was with the help of Dushyant Chautala's Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) that BJP was able to form the government. JJP had bagged 10 seats.

BJP's Haryana unit is experiencing internal strife this time around and the party is also predicted to suffer the anti-incumbency as it is in power in the state for a decade now.

Farmer's distress is also a major factor in Haryana. Protests against the farm laws found resonance in Punjab as well as in Haryana. The BJP has been careful on the issue and ensuring that it does not stir sentiments close to the election. Recently, the party publicly and officially instructed actress-turned-politician Kangana Ranaut to not make public comments on the issue after she made one linking farmers' protest with turmoil in Bangladesh.