Bhupesh Baghel calls Assam polls a ‘real vs fake Congress’ battle, targets Himanta Biswa Sarma

Senior Congress leader and former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Tuesday described the upcoming Assam Assembly elections as a contest between the “real” and the “fake” Congress, alleging that Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is leading the latter.

Baghel expressed confidence that voters would back the “real” Congress under the leadership of Assam Pradesh Congress Committee president Gaurav Gogoi.

“This time, the election in Assam is not BJP versus Congress. Rather, it is a contest between the real Congress and ‘fake’ Congress,” Baghel said. “The real Congress is led by Gaurav Gogoi, while the ‘fake’ Congress is headed by Sarma,” he added.

The Congress leader also referred to recent political developments, noting that leaders such as Bhupen Bora and Pradyut Bordoloi have joined the BJP and are contesting the elections, framing the contest as an ideological split.

Sarma, who served as a minister in successive Congress governments in Assam from 2001, had joined the BJP in August 2015.

Baghel further claimed that a favourable wave is building for the Congress in the state, asserting that a “new political atmosphere” has emerged after Gogoi assumed leadership. He said the electorate is seeking a change and would give the party an opportunity to form the next government.

The Congress leader, who is the party’s election observer for Assam, also accused the current dispensation of “misrule and intimidation,” alleging corruption at the highest level—claims that the BJP has consistently denied.

Polling for the 126-member Assam Assembly is scheduled for April 9, with counting of votes set for May 4, according to the Election Commission of India.