<p>The Congress top brass, at a meeting here on Sunday, are expected to discuss the viability of entrusting some senior ministers of Siddaramaiah cabinet with the task of bracing the party for the next assembly elections in 2018.<br /><br /></p>.<p>This would mean the seniors make way for juniors to join the cabinet. Though this exercise tops the ‘draft agenda’ the party has drawn up for the meeting of its co-ordination committee tomorrow, many leaders argue that the draft may well remain a wishlist of some leaders. The supposed agenda has been making the rounds on social media in the last two days.<br /><br />Congress working president Dinesh Gundu Rao, however, said there is no proposal to drop senior ministers and draft them for party work. Replying to reporters’ queries on reallocation of responsibilities in the party and the government, Rao said, “It must be a fake agenda as there is no fixed agenda.”<br /><br />Many in the party are sceptical about the party taking such a drastic step when the assembly elections are just a year away. It would be difficult to make any senior minister quit even if Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and party state president G Parameshwara wish, it is said.<br /><br />Sources in the party also contend that removal of some senior ministers would give the chief minister some relief from the telltale diary of MLC K Govindaraj. The diary jottings reportedly indicate transfer of crores of rupees to the Congress high command, ostensibly by five ministers.<br />Sunday’s meeting would be chaired by Digvijaya Singh and attended by 27 other leaders, including Siddaramaiah, Parameshwara, Oscar Fernandes, Janardhana Poojary, Mallikarjun Kharge, Veerappa Moily, Rehman Khan, B K Hariprasad and M V Rajashekaran.<br /><br />The ‘draft agenda’ says each minister who exits the cabinet should be entrusted the responsibility of organising the party in 15 assembly constituencies and ensure the victory of party candidates in the 2018 polls.<br /><br />Party sources said four committees had been formed to survey the 102 assembly constituencies where the party could not win in 2013 and identify prospective candidates.<br /><br />Legislators who had failed to nurture their constituency would be denied a ticket. By-elections to Gundlupet and Nanjungud assembly constituencies are also on the “draft agenda”. The party intends to put each gram panchayat under the purview of a minister, besides KPCC office bearers and legislators. They would be tasked to give publicity to development works undertaken by the government in the last four years.<br /><br />The party also proposes to appoint new presidents for 20 district units ahead of the assembly polls and constitute a committee led by B L Shankar and V R Sudarshan to propagate the government’s achievements across the state.</p>
<p>The Congress top brass, at a meeting here on Sunday, are expected to discuss the viability of entrusting some senior ministers of Siddaramaiah cabinet with the task of bracing the party for the next assembly elections in 2018.<br /><br /></p>.<p>This would mean the seniors make way for juniors to join the cabinet. Though this exercise tops the ‘draft agenda’ the party has drawn up for the meeting of its co-ordination committee tomorrow, many leaders argue that the draft may well remain a wishlist of some leaders. The supposed agenda has been making the rounds on social media in the last two days.<br /><br />Congress working president Dinesh Gundu Rao, however, said there is no proposal to drop senior ministers and draft them for party work. Replying to reporters’ queries on reallocation of responsibilities in the party and the government, Rao said, “It must be a fake agenda as there is no fixed agenda.”<br /><br />Many in the party are sceptical about the party taking such a drastic step when the assembly elections are just a year away. It would be difficult to make any senior minister quit even if Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and party state president G Parameshwara wish, it is said.<br /><br />Sources in the party also contend that removal of some senior ministers would give the chief minister some relief from the telltale diary of MLC K Govindaraj. The diary jottings reportedly indicate transfer of crores of rupees to the Congress high command, ostensibly by five ministers.<br />Sunday’s meeting would be chaired by Digvijaya Singh and attended by 27 other leaders, including Siddaramaiah, Parameshwara, Oscar Fernandes, Janardhana Poojary, Mallikarjun Kharge, Veerappa Moily, Rehman Khan, B K Hariprasad and M V Rajashekaran.<br /><br />The ‘draft agenda’ says each minister who exits the cabinet should be entrusted the responsibility of organising the party in 15 assembly constituencies and ensure the victory of party candidates in the 2018 polls.<br /><br />Party sources said four committees had been formed to survey the 102 assembly constituencies where the party could not win in 2013 and identify prospective candidates.<br /><br />Legislators who had failed to nurture their constituency would be denied a ticket. By-elections to Gundlupet and Nanjungud assembly constituencies are also on the “draft agenda”. The party intends to put each gram panchayat under the purview of a minister, besides KPCC office bearers and legislators. They would be tasked to give publicity to development works undertaken by the government in the last four years.<br /><br />The party also proposes to appoint new presidents for 20 district units ahead of the assembly polls and constitute a committee led by B L Shankar and V R Sudarshan to propagate the government’s achievements across the state.</p>
