Congress aims to repeat Karnataka success in four poll-bound states

Congress is calling its leaders from poll bound Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Mizoram to the national capital for a meeting to discuss a broad strategy for campaigning in their states during the Assembly elections.

The one-day meeting is likely to take place between May 24 and May 26, when the leaders will deliberate on the Karnataka model of campaigning and how it could be replicated in their respective states or tweaked to suit local flavours.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, Congress General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal, in-charges from the four states, state presidents and legislature party leaders will attend the meet.

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One of the highlights would be the discussion on using the ‘guarantee’ plank, which the party successfully used in Karnataka, in poll-bound states. There would be different types of guarantees for different states and the leaders would deliberate on it, sources said.

A senior leader said the discussions would be on bigger details rather than minute ones, and a review of the political situation in every state would be undertaken. The meeting would also review the preparations of the party organisation for the elections in November-December.

Sources said corruption would be one of the high points of campaign in both BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh and BRS-led Telangana government while the party would highlight Congress’ achievements in party-ruled Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh.

One of the main themes of the Congress campaign would be its “positive” theme of the campaign where it would talk about what it would do when it comes to power.

The leaders would also emphasise on unity in the party. One of the concerns will be Rajasthan where Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his former deputy Sachin Pilot are at loggerheads. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and Health Minister TS Singhdeo, who was eyeing the Chief Minister post, are also fighting with each other.

In Telangana, state party chief Revanth Reddy is facing dissidence from a host of senior leaders.

The central leaders are likely to issue an ultimatum to the warring leaders to end the fight and ensure the party unitedly takes on its opponent and wins.

If they could not stop the fight, the leader said in a lighter vein, the message would be to at least postpone the fight till the elections and resume it once the party wins.