BJP, Congress say ready for battle

With the Election Commission (EC) finally announcing the schedule of the state Assembly elections, both the BJP and the Congress, the two key political parties in the state, said they were ready for the polls.

Leaders of both parties exuded confidence. Talking with reporters, CM Vijay Rupani, BJP's face in the elections, said his party's poll preparations were complete.

"We are ready for the elections. We are going to win 150+ seats," Rupani said, adding that the people of Gujarat have always voted for development, and will do the same this time as well.

Senior Congress leader Arjun Modhwadia, too, said his party had long been ready for the elections. "The BJP has announced several sops in the past weeks, but the election-oriented announcements will only backfire for the party. The people are looking for a change," Modhwadia claimed.

POLL PLANKS

• While the BJP will be contesting the elections on the development plank, the Congress is expected to raise issues such as demonetization and hasty implementation of the GST.