New Delhi, Sep 18 (IANS): Amid the high-voltage campaign for the upcoming Haryana Assembly elections, a Congress MLA from Faridabad Neeraj Sharma kicked up a major row on Wednesday, by making outlandish poll promises to woo the electorate.

Neeraj Sharma, also the contesting candidate from Faridabad's NIT constituency told the gathering that the party, if voted to power, will 'reward' them with jobs and for this they will have to cast their votes in 'large numbers'.

As a video of his political rhetoric went viral on social media, it invited strong backlash from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and also netizens.

Addressing a public gathering, Neeraj Sharma said, "Bhupinder Hooda has promised that people of the state will get 2 lakh government jobs. Our region has been given a quota of 2000 jobs. Whichever village casts the maximum ballot, that will be entitled to maximum jobs."

"There will be a guarantee of 1 job for every 50 votes. This is not just my decision but of the leadership," Sharma bragged before people.

The video also drew the attention of Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini. Sharing it from his personal 'X' handle, he questioned the intentions of Congress and said that this reveals the "real character and mindset" of the grand old party.

"The first promise of the Congress manifesto is to distribute jobs and then slips on expenses," he wrote.

Haryana BJP president Mohan Lal Badoli also expressed surprise over "grandstanding" by the Congress candidate and mockingly said, "Hooda's system for Haryana youth."

For the Haryana Assembly elections, slated for October 5, the Congress and BJP are engaged in a spirited fight with the former being hopeful and confident of getting people's thumping mandate, after a gap of ten years. The performance of the INDIA bloc in recent Lok Sabha elections energised and enthused the ranks of the Congress party.

Meanwhile, the Congress candidate has come forward to issue a clarification over his viral boast. He claimed that the BJP IT cell manipulated his statement and shared it on social media to earn brownie points from the public. He said that the Congress government, when formed, will work with full focus to employ the state's youth.