Congress to bag over 100 seats in Assam: Chhattisgarh CM

New Delhi, Mar 14: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, who is in Assam on a three-day visit to canvas for Congress candidates, criticised the ruling BJP on Sunday for its alleged failure to fulfil promises, and asserted that his party will bag more than 100 seats in the 126-member Assembly.

Baghel, who is also the senior observer of the Congress for Assam polls, said the saffron camp had vowed to take steps to seal the state's border with Bangladesh, and construct expressways on the two sides of the Brahmaputra river, but none of that happened in the last five years.

Hitting out at the ruling party for "not having a development agenda", Baghel further claimed that members of the BJP are still confused if Sarabananda Sonowal is the state's chief minister or Himanta Biswa Sarma.

Baghel also accused the BJP government of running a 'syndicate raj' and institutionalising corruption in various sectors such as coal supply and betel leaf trade.

"The BJP had promised to seal the Bangladesh border, construct Expressways on both sides of Brahmaputra river and raise daily wages of tea garden workers but they failed to deliver. The way things are going, we are confident that our party get hundred plus seats in Assam," the Chhattisgarh CM, who is campaigning for the Congress in Upper Assam, said during a press conference here.

Elections to the 126-member Assam House will be held in three phases between March 27 and April 6.

Assembly seats in Upper Assam are scheduled to go to polls during the first phase.

The Congress, which has formed a Grand Alliance with the AIUDF, BPF, CPI, CPI(M), CPI(ML), the Anchalik Gana Morcha (AGM) and the RJD, is set to contest 43 of the 47 seats, which are up for polls in the first phase.