JOIN USCongress to prepare constituency-wise manifestos in Karnataka
The D K Shivakumar-led Congress will prepare election manifestos for each of the 224 Assembly constituencies in the state.
Shivakumar, the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president, said this after the party’s first meeting with newly-appointed office-bearers.
“We will have a manifesto for every assembly constituency, which will be prepared based on what people want,” Shivakumar said. “We also discussed the way forward for the party and how we should, at the panchayat-level, talk about failures of the BJP government and Congress’ achievements,” he said.
Shivakumar said the new office-bearers - 40 vice-presidents and 109 general secretaries - should devote time round-the-clock. “We need leaders to emerge from the booths. We discussed how the party should stand with youth, women, minorities, backward classes, farmers and labourers,” he said.
According to sources, the party leadership has decided that block presidents should not be above the age of 45 in order to promote youngsters, which is something former AICC president Rahul Gandhi is pushing. As part of this, all block committees will be reconstituted.
The party has also discussed forming WhatsApp groups in every ward and assembly segment to disseminate pro-Congress content.
The office-bearers meeting was attended by AICC general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala, Congress Legislature Party leader Siddaramaiah and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge.
Sources said that office-bearers were asked to ensure monthly review meetings with party workers every month. State-level leaders have been asked to visit one block every month. General secretaries have been told to keep in touch with civic groups in every assembly constituency.
Along with a manifesto, every assembly constituency should have a charge-sheet against the ruling BJP, the office-bearers were told.
It is said that senior leaders favoured a door-to-door campaign with a focus on wooing women voters. "BJP national leaders are getting involved now because they see that the Congress is strong. We must ensure the support of people who align with our ideology," the office-bearers were told, source said.
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