New Delhi, Aug 31 (IANS): Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) chief Udai Bhan on Saturday exuded confidence that the poll-bound state was ‘yearning’ for change and the recent shift in vote share (during Lok Sabha elections) gives enough hints on the grand old party’s likely victory in the forthcoming Assembly elections.

In an exclusive conversation with IANS, the four-time MLA gave a break down of the polling percentage of the 2024 LS polls and also elucidated how the Congress, with a 1.5 per cent vote share ‘lead’ was in the driver’s seat, as against the ruling BJP.

Q: BJP claims that the Congress is a divided house and it is unable to finalise candidates for Assembly elections. Your take on this?

A: The Congress is united and ready to take on the BJP in the Assembly elections. Our party leaders and workers are focussed on one goal. It is the BJP which is divided and facing internal fighting. You can spot their ‘differences’ from statements of Anil Vij, Rao Inderjit Singh and others. They are nervous and not able to present a clear ideology.

The Chief Minister himself is finding it hard to get support in his constituency. Faced with fears of a looming defeat, he has given up the Karnal constituency and opted for the Ladwa seat. He is not even confident of a sure-shot win from there and thus is searching for more options. The Chief Minister hasn’t found a safe seat to contest while the BJP’s state chief has developed cold feet and withdrawn from polls. This itself shows the state of affairs in the BJP.

The Congress is geared up to contest elections. Out of 90, the party will win 70 seats and will give BJP a crushing defeat.

Q: Is it your over-confidence, arising from the party's performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections?

A: The Congress is a party of the masses with strong ground connections. Lok Sabha election results are indeed a morale booster for the party and cadre. In the previous elections, our vote share had fallen to 28 per cent but that is no longer the case. The BJP, which amassed 58 per cent vote share, has been reduced to 30 per cent.

In the Lok Sabha elections, our vote share soared from 28 per cent to 47 per cent while that of the BJP dropped from 58 per cent to 46 per cent, which means we are 1.5 per cent ahead of them.

The Congress party, having revived the people’s confidence is all set to dislodge the BJP government in the upcoming election. The ruling party will struggle to win 20 seats.

Q: What happened in the screening committee?

A: A lot of issues are being discussed and deliberated upon in the Screening Committee. There are about 2,500 applications, pertaining to 90 Assembly constituencies. All matters are being discussed.

Q: What’s your assessment about the upcoming Assembly elections?

A: Congress is fully confident of a landslide victory in the upcoming elections. We will get a thumping majority in the Assembly by winning more than 70 seats, this time.