As the assembly elections are slated to be held on October 21 at Maharashtra, the political parties have upped their campaign game in the state.

The Congress on Sunday shared its poll agenda, highlighting issues riding high on which the party will fight the election.

The party said it will raise suicides by farmers and “pro-people” issues such as corruption and loss of jobs in the assembly polls next month, that the governments in Maharashtra and Haryana are trying to deflect.

Soon after the Election Commission (EC) announced the election schedule in Maharashtra and Haryana, Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera welcomed it and said the party is completely ready to contest the polls.

Both the states will witness elections in single phase. EC announced that the date of notification is on 27 September, last date of nomination is on 4 October, scrutiny will take place on 5 October while the last date of withdrawal of candidature is 7 October.

The elections are crucial as it is the first set of assembly elections since the Lok Sabha polls in May where the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) under Prime Minister Narendra Modi returned to power with a thumping majority.

The Congress will also raise the issue of loss of 15 lakh jobs and Rs 20 lakh crore in the stock market in the last three months.

Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala, in a video, said the people of Haryana and Maharashtra are looking forward to remove the BJP government.

“Congress will win in both these two states. The BJP government is now recognised by slowdown and lockdown. The current government is a capitalist government that has been made by capitalists and run by capitalists. People have decided to defeat this government and they will get a befitting reply to it in the upcoming elections,” Surjewala said.

Targeting Modi over his current visit to Texas as part of ‘Howdi, Modi’ rally, Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera said, “Fifteen lakh people who lost their jobs and farmers sitting at Delhi’s border want him (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) to respond to them but he will go to Houston and tell the people there ‘Howdy Modi‘. It is the people of India that have elected him, not the US.”