Our target is to win 150 Assembly seats: Congress leader M B Patil

As Karnataka begins warming up to elections, former minister M B Patil is set to take charge as the chairperson of the campaign committee of the Karnataka Congress on Monday. Patil talks to DH's Shruthi H M Sastry on the party’s plan to take on the BJP. Excerpts:

A series of elections are lined up this year. What will be your role in it? Is there a broad strategy in place?

Immediately after taking charge, I’ll hold consultative meetings with the party’s senior and youth leaders. We’ll come up with a comprehensive plan of action that will be sent to the AICC general secretary. Personally, I’ll visit every district where I’ll meet Congress leaders, activists and seers from different communities to seek their blessings.

Ahead of the 2023 Assembly polls, what are the areas of focus for the Congress’ campaign in Karnataka?

The main theme is ‘Anna, Akshara, Ashraya, Arogya and Abhivruddhi’. What we promise for these areas, we will deliver. That apart, our focus is to communicate the Congress’ achievements over the last 70 years at both the national and state levels. We will also expose the BJP government’s failures in the last eight years.

Our campaign will also look at instilling national pride by showcasing the works of various national leaders, apart from bringing to fore the contributions of seers from different communities. We want to convey to the people that Congress is for everyone, irrespective of caste, class or faith.

Showcasing the party’s achievements has not been a strong suit of Congress. How will you address this?

There will be campaign committees at the state, district and at the booth level with pracharaks. We will reach the last man with communication about Congress’ contributions and BJP’s failures.

Which regions in the state, according to you, deserve special attention to strengthen the party’s position?

We’ll reach out to all the regions. However, we’ll look at region-specific issues for each district. For instance, Shivamogga has forest-related issues, while Kolar and Chikkaballapur face drinking water woes.

The BJP’s online presence is strong and Congress hasn’t matched this. How will you tackle this?

KPCC president D K Shivakumar has already taken up efforts to tap into social media campaigning. We will work alongside to strengthen these efforts. You will definitely see a difference over the next one year. Unlike the BJP, we have a lot to tell people. The BJP has nothing to tell, but they rake up provocative issues.

Urban middle-class is a key votebase for the BJP. Do you think the Congress can break into this demography?

Middle-class may be their voters, but they are the ones suffering the most today. The prices of petrol and diesel have gone up, LPG is more expensive and so are pulses. The BJP is trying to exploit the feelings of people to indulge in divisive politics. This won’t last long.

Congress has fared poorly in the recent five states’ elections. Is this a dent on the party’s prospects in Karnataka?

Our leadership has already swung into action to identify what could have been done better. We will obviously take lessons from there and not repeat the mistakes here. Our target in Karnataka is to win 150 Assembly seats.

In the perceived oneupmanship contest between D K Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah, your name is being touted as the third face. Do you see yourself as a CM candidate?

There is no such contest. Congress is a single force. All of us work together. Our focus is to come to power and make a difference to society. The high command will decide the rest.

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